NutritionAARP: Shaheen-Collins Bill Will Keep Americans Healthier And Out Of The Hospital
AARP today proudly endorsed the bipartisan "Medicare
Transitional Care Act," being introduced this week by Senators
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME). This critical
legislation adds a follow-up care benefit to Medicare to ensure
that people who leave the hospital get the care they need to stay
healthy and avoid being readmitted. Such a benefit can help save
some of the estimated $17 billion Medicare spends each year on
preventable hospital readmissions.
"It"s unacceptable that 20 percent of people in Medicare who visit
the hospital will return within a month, often because they aren"t
getting the follow-up care they need," said AARP Executive Vice
President Nancy LeaMond. "We"re sending home too many people with
a handful of prescriptions and no support. Something as simple as
help to set up a medication schedule could be the difference between
getting healthy or winding up back in a hospital bed."
AARP has urged lawmakers to ensure that comprehensive health care
reform includes a Medicare follow-up care benefit to help people
safely return to their homes after a hospital stay, coordinate their
health care needs and prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions. The
legislation being introduced this week by Sens. Shaheen and Collins
marks an important step toward a stronger, higher quality health care
system.
The "Medicare Transitional Care Act" would create a new Medicare
benefit to coordinate care during a person"s transition from a hospital
to their home or other care settings. With help from a team of nurses,
doctors and other professionals, patients and their caregivers would
receive critical follow-up care, like instructions for taking their
medications, a medical professional to attend follow-up appointments
with their doctors, referrals for care, and help to find the equipment
and services they may need.
LeaMond added: "We"re proud to support this crucial bipartisan
legislation, and we look forward to working with Senators Shaheen and
Collins to enact this benefit as a part of comprehensive health care
reform. We simply cannot afford to keep wasting our health care dollars
on preventable readmissions. This bill is a win-win that should keep
people healthier and save money."
AARP has also endorsed a bipartisan House companion bill, H.R. 2773,
sponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Charles Boustany (R-LA).
For details on AARP"s health reform priorities, visit
http://www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.
AARP