Trying again at Congress’ position in enhancing home-based care workforce points in 2022, the trade noticed extra of an “aspirational” yr than a “productive” one.
That’s in response to Invoice Dombi, president of the Nationwide Affiliation for House Care & Hospice (NAHC). He expressed this sentiment throughout a presentation on the House Care 100 convention in Orlando, Florida on Monday.
Unsurprisingly, workforce challenges had been high of thoughts throughout Dombi’s rundown of legislative, regulatory and advocacy updates.
“We anticipate to see, in 2023, the reintroduction of legislative proposals that may assist improve the well being care workforce,” Dombi mentioned. “We now have a multi-dimensional, extremely built-in want for options on the workforce facet of it.”
On the legislative facet, 2023 will see the return of the Higher Care Higher Jobs Act, which might pump $150 billion into Medicaid for home- and community-based companies. The funds shall be earmarked for workforce stabilization efforts.
Nonetheless, Dombi admits that there could also be a tough street forward for this laws.
“It is going to come again in 2023, it’s not going to be a simple climb to success for that,” he mentioned.
NAHC can also be supportive of the Credit score for Caring Act, which can also be championed by AARP. The laws would offer a non-refundable federal tax credit score of as much as $5,000 to eligible household caregivers. The intention is to assist tackle the monetary challenges that include household caregiving.
Immigration is an space that Dombi steered suppliers keep watch over. Nevertheless, he additionally urged them to make the most of inner options, comparable to creating profession alternatives, providing caregiver assist and implementing know-how.
“A part of the availability challenge is tied to immigration, so we anticipate Congress to be specializing in these points, however I encourage all of you to look to among the options you heard earlier, as a result of Congress itself is just not going to resolve this drawback that we’ve when it comes to the workforce scarcity,” Dombi mentioned.
He additionally turned his consideration to the end-of-year spending invoice.
“Once we first checked out it, we mentioned we didn’t get what we wished,” he mentioned. “Once we began taking a look at it, there have been a whole lot of parts that continued to gas the assumption that Congress, the regulators and the well being care world itself is focusing increasingly on concentrating well being care within the dwelling.”
Notably, the laws postpones an across-the-board 4% price minimize associated to PAYGO necessities via 2024, extends Medicare sequestration and strengthens Affected person-Pushed Groupings Mannequin rulemaking transparency.
With the enlargement of the House Well being Worth-Primarily based Buying (HHVBP) Mannequin underway, Dombi additionally briefly identified how important this system was to the Medicare program and its sufferers.
“There’s so many the explanation why it’s essential hold individuals out of hospitals and the Medicare program says that the value-based buying program for dwelling well being companies has performed that and saved the Medicare program billions of {dollars} in that course of as nicely,” Dombi mentioned.
Finally, Dombi careworn the significance of breaking freed from silos relating to trade advocacy efforts.
“The pitch that all of us want to supply in our advocacy efforts is: We aren’t taking a look at silos of Medicare dwelling well being, Medicare hospice, private-pay private care companies of private-duty companies in Medicaid, etcetera,” he mentioned. “We’re taking a look at a have to have a highly-integrated technique to assist well being care companies at dwelling. Whereas these could also be victories of kinds and child steps ahead, we nonetheless want way more to occur on a going-forward foundation.”
