St. Petersburg Times Editorial: Florida's Leaders Shortchange Elderly
Florida state and legislative leadership have rejected tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to help elderly people. It is an unconscionable display of partisanship that will cause increased suffering in a state with existing problems heretofore . . . the St. Petersburg Times Editorial Board takes note here:
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Florida leaders shortchange elderlyIn Print: Saturday, July 2, 2011
www.tampabay.com
To score political points against President Barack Obama's health care reforms, Florida's Republican legislative leaders have rejected millions of federal dollars to help the frail elderly stay in their homes. It is unconscionable and suggests Tallahassee's leadership is ready to trade commonsense and decent treatment of Florida's elders for purely partisan gain.
The five-year, $35.7 million grant left on the table by the state Legislative Budget Committee last month means Florida won't participate in a compassionate federal program launched in 2005 under Republican President George W. Bush. It pays for seniors and the disabled to be cared for at home or at an assisted living facility rather than be consigned to a nursing home.
Obviously, this is how people wish to live out their years, if possible, and it's a huge savings to taxpayers. The median cost to Medicaid for a person in a nursing home is $76,777 a year, compared with $31,950 at an assisted living facility and about $40,000 for home health care.
But the joint, 14-member budget committee, which meets to consider fiscal issues between legislative sessions, voted 8-6 to reject the funds, hewing to the policy dictates of Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Dean Cannon to bar the implementation of any part of the federal health reform law. Other states, such as Wisconsin and Indiana, are part of the Florida lawsuit challenging Obama's health care reform but have accepted the Money Follows the Person funds to benefit their citizens. Not Florida, which is having its real needs ignored in deference to rigid partisanship.
Committee member Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, contended Florida already has sufficient programs to keep people out of nursing homes. But the state's nursing home diversion program, which serves 19,000 Floridians, has a waiting list of over 11,000 people, according to the Department of Elder Affairs. And two of the Senate's staunchest fiscal conservatives, Sens. J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales and Joe Negron of Stuart, broke ranks to join with the committee's four Democrats in voting to accept the money.
It's not the first time the hostility of Scott and legislative leaders toward federal health reform has led them to shortchange Floridians. Scott returned a $1 million federal grant that would have underwritten a system to allow consumers to monitor insurance rates. The Legislature turned away seven federal grants this year associated with federal health care reform worth more than $17 million, including $2 million for children's hospice care and $8 million for construction of community health centers.
Floridians should be appalled at the choices being made by the state's leaders. They would rather play political games than help the state's grandparents stay in their homes and communities. There is no justification for this cynical calculation.
South Florida Home Health Care A Family Member Home Care of South Florida assists seniors families Personal Home Health Care Transferring Walking Dressing Bathing Grooming Companionship Housekeeping Laundry Transportation Meal Preparation Stimulating Activities South Florida hospitals rehab clinics safe transitions in-home health care. Serving Miami-Dade Broward Palm Beach Independent Assisted Living clients Memorial Regional Hospital Broward County Coconut Creek Cooper City Coral Springs Dania Beach Davie Deerfield Beach Fort Lauderdale Hallandale Beach, Hillsboro Beach Hollywood Lauderdale Lakes Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Lauderhill Lazy Lake Lighthouse Point Margate Miramar North Lauderdale Oakland Park Parkland Pembroke Park Pembroke Pines Plantation Pompano Beach Sea Ranch Lakes Southwest Ranches Sunrise Tamarac Weston Wilton Manors Medicare Medicaid Federal Health Care North Broward Hospital District South Broward Hospital District silver sneakers Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Aetna Aventura Bal Harbour Bay Harbor Islands Biscayne Park Coral Gables El Portal Florida City Golden Beach Hialeah Hialeah Gardens Homestead Indian Creek Islandia Key Biscayne Medley Miami Miami Beach Miami Lakes Miami Shores Village Miami Springs North Bay Village North Miami North Miami Beach Opa-locka Pinecrest South Miami Sunny Isles Beach Surfside Sweetwater Virginia Gardens West Miami Atlantis Boca Raton Boynton Beach Briny Breezes Delray Beach Greenacres Highland Beach Hypoluxo Juno Beach Jupiter Lake Clarke Shores Lake Worth Lantana Manalapan Mangonia Park North Palm Beach Ocean Ridge Palm Beach Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Shores Palm Springs Riviera Beach Royal Palm Beach South Bay South Palm Beach Tequesta West Palm Beach
Florida leaders shortchange elderlyIn Print: Saturday, July 2, 2011
www.tampabay.com
To score political points against President Barack Obama's health care reforms, Florida's Republican legislative leaders have rejected millions of federal dollars to help the frail elderly stay in their homes. It is unconscionable and suggests Tallahassee's leadership is ready to trade commonsense and decent treatment of Florida's elders for purely partisan gain.
The five-year, $35.7 million grant left on the table by the state Legislative Budget Committee last month means Florida won't participate in a compassionate federal program launched in 2005 under Republican President George W. Bush. It pays for seniors and the disabled to be cared for at home or at an assisted living facility rather than be consigned to a nursing home.
Obviously, this is how people wish to live out their years, if possible, and it's a huge savings to taxpayers. The median cost to Medicaid for a person in a nursing home is $76,777 a year, compared with $31,950 at an assisted living facility and about $40,000 for home health care.
But the joint, 14-member budget committee, which meets to consider fiscal issues between legislative sessions, voted 8-6 to reject the funds, hewing to the policy dictates of Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Dean Cannon to bar the implementation of any part of the federal health reform law. Other states, such as Wisconsin and Indiana, are part of the Florida lawsuit challenging Obama's health care reform but have accepted the Money Follows the Person funds to benefit their citizens. Not Florida, which is having its real needs ignored in deference to rigid partisanship.
Committee member Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, contended Florida already has sufficient programs to keep people out of nursing homes. But the state's nursing home diversion program, which serves 19,000 Floridians, has a waiting list of over 11,000 people, according to the Department of Elder Affairs. And two of the Senate's staunchest fiscal conservatives, Sens. J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales and Joe Negron of Stuart, broke ranks to join with the committee's four Democrats in voting to accept the money.
It's not the first time the hostility of Scott and legislative leaders toward federal health reform has led them to shortchange Floridians. Scott returned a $1 million federal grant that would have underwritten a system to allow consumers to monitor insurance rates. The Legislature turned away seven federal grants this year associated with federal health care reform worth more than $17 million, including $2 million for children's hospice care and $8 million for construction of community health centers.
Floridians should be appalled at the choices being made by the state's leaders. They would rather play political games than help the state's grandparents stay in their homes and communities. There is no justification for this cynical calculation.
South Florida Home Health Care A Family Member Home Care of South Florida assists seniors families Personal Home Health Care Transferring Walking Dressing Bathing Grooming Companionship Housekeeping Laundry Transportation Meal Preparation Stimulating Activities South Florida hospitals rehab clinics safe transitions in-home health care. Serving Miami-Dade Broward Palm Beach Independent Assisted Living clients Memorial Regional Hospital Broward County Coconut Creek Cooper City Coral Springs Dania Beach Davie Deerfield Beach Fort Lauderdale Hallandale Beach, Hillsboro Beach Hollywood Lauderdale Lakes Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Lauderhill Lazy Lake Lighthouse Point Margate Miramar North Lauderdale Oakland Park Parkland Pembroke Park Pembroke Pines Plantation Pompano Beach Sea Ranch Lakes Southwest Ranches Sunrise Tamarac Weston Wilton Manors Medicare Medicaid Federal Health Care North Broward Hospital District South Broward Hospital District silver sneakers Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Aetna Aventura Bal Harbour Bay Harbor Islands Biscayne Park Coral Gables El Portal Florida City Golden Beach Hialeah Hialeah Gardens Homestead Indian Creek Islandia Key Biscayne Medley Miami Miami Beach Miami Lakes Miami Shores Village Miami Springs North Bay Village North Miami North Miami Beach Opa-locka Pinecrest South Miami Sunny Isles Beach Surfside Sweetwater Virginia Gardens West Miami Atlantis Boca Raton Boynton Beach Briny Breezes Delray Beach Greenacres Highland Beach Hypoluxo Juno Beach Jupiter Lake Clarke Shores Lake Worth Lantana Manalapan Mangonia Park North Palm Beach Ocean Ridge Palm Beach Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Shores Palm Springs Riviera Beach Royal Palm Beach South Bay South Palm Beach Tequesta West Palm Beach
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