Dear Elected Officials: Thank You . . . And

Dear Elected Officials:

Thank you for maintaining the medical deduction possibility for America’s older adults as part of the Tax Reform Act of 2017.  In addition, thank you for maintaining the private, tax-exempt financing mechanism for not-for-profit providers of services to older adults.  Without this financing option, the ability for not-for-profit service providers to grow to meet the demands of an ever-increasing older adult population would have been seriously curtailed.

On a more cautionary note, I reiterate my previous letter focused on concerns about long-term revenue generation, especially considering the anticipated needs of this increasing and unprecedented population of older adults.  To provide the American worker with short-term gain only for it to be taken away from programs they will rely upon later is short-sighted, at best.

As not-for-profit providers of aging services, we also agree that something must be done to solve the Medicaid funding and administration problem.  We agree that it is broken.  Where we diverge in thinking is we believe fundamental reform must include universal, government-supported coverage for long-term services and supports. Otherwise, funding for Medicaid as we know it today will increase at unsustainable rates and force elected officials like yourself to make very difficult decisions.

Unfortunately, as much as the notion of less government spending plays with certain segments of the American public, cutting funding to Medicaid or any other older adult program is not the answer and is not reform.

We have much to be grateful for in this great country of ours.  As providers, we are grateful for your willingness to serve our region and our nation. But now that someone else’s agenda has been achieved, please turn your attention to the nation’s most pressing issue – fairly-funded, high quality and accessible long-term services and supports for older Americans.

They’ve certainly held up their end of the deal.