Tom Ryan
A Bipartisan Fix for America’s Looming Homecare Crisis
By Tom Ryan
Within the next 40 years, the number of people over the age of 65 in this country will increase by about 70%.
Many older Americans — three in four, according to an AARP survey — want to live out their golden years at home. They won’t be able to, absent action to shore up our nation’s homecare infrastructure.
Fortunately, Congress is beginning to recognize as much. In February, a bipartisan coalition in the House introduced legislation that would raise pay for the homecare providers who furnish seniors and Americans in need with oxygen, wheelchairs, ventilators, and other medical equipment that enables them to safely receive care at home.
This pay hike not only will ensure that seniors have access to homecare in the years to come. It will also generate savings and reduce pressure on other parts of the healthcare system.
Long-standing demand for critical homecare has surged during the pandemic.
Aging Americans want to avoid group facilities where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is high. Hospitals are turning to home care for follow-up services that might previously have required a return trip to the clinic.
This surge in demand has collided with severe shortages of everything from hospital beds to walkers. Before the pandemic, the average wait for delivery of new stock was a few days. Now, wheelchairs are on months-long back orders. Sleep apnea machines and oxygen tanks are in short supply.
When items are available, costs have soared. Home medical equipment providers have reported price increases of more than 30%. On top of that, they’re paying shipping and handling surcharges.
Then there are pandemic-related expenditures for personal protective equipment for staff, which can total $15,000 a year per location.
Operating under these conditions would be challenging for any industry. But homecare providers cannot pass these higher costs along. That’s because they’re paid according to a reimbursement schedule set by Medicare back in 2015 that’s been locked in ever since.
Many home medical equipment providers have found the strain too much to bear. More than one-third have gone out of business or stopped accepting Medicare patients.
The need to act is urgent.
Medicare has twice failed to hold a new bidding round that would bring rates into alignment with market reality. Instead, Medicare has offered a 5% increase, citing the overall inflation rate. That’s hardly adequate.
Preserving America’s homecare infrastructure will benefit not just the patients who count on it but the rest of our healthcare system.
High-quality, home-based care reduces overall healthcare costs by keeping patients out of high-cost environments like hospitals and nursing homes. That can help preserve scarce medical resources for more acute cases.
In an era of intense polarization, it’s rare to find an idea that commands the support of Republicans and Democrats. But both parties can support Americans who wish to age in place, in the comfort of their own homes.
Lawmakers can translate that support into action by advancing H.R. 6641, the DMEPOS Relief Act of 2022. This bill would raise pay and ensure that Medicare reimbursement for homecare providers keeps up with rising equipment and operational costs.
The pandemic has brought our nation’s ability to provide care outside of hospitals and nursing facilities into focus. Our nation’s growing population of seniors adds even more urgency to the need to invest in home-based care. Passing The DMEPOS Relief Act of 2022 is an important step in that direction.
Tom Ryan is president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare (aahomecare.org). This piece originally ran in the Detroit News.
Local News
Willow Springs hires three for police department
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch All three new hires by the Willow Springs Police Department have some experience working in the village. But as of Jan. 27, they are officially members of the police department. The Willow Springs Village Board, at its most recent meeting, hired Andzeliak Bugajski and Anthony Vosicky as part-time officers and…
Argo wrestlers advance to sectionals
Spread the love From staff reports Nine members of the Argo wrestling team qualified for this weekend’s sectional tournament at the IHSA Class 3A regional at Mount Carmel High School last Saturday. Head Wrestling Coach Matthew McMurray said, “It was a great job by all of our wrestlers as they finished in third place. We…
Spartan Educational Foundation presents Rat Pack tribute
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Spartan Educational Foundation is dedicated to helping students fulfill their dreams. “The Spartan Educational Foundation is continuously looking for opportunities to raise funding to support our student scholarship and staff mini-grant programs,” Michael Riordan, Superintendent at Oak Lawn Community Hight School and Spartan Educational Foundation…
Stickney’s St. Pius X Parish to merge with St. Leonard
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong St. Pius X Parish in Stickney will merge with St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn this summer, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, announced last month. The merger is part of the archdiocese’s ongoing Renew My Church initiative and will take effect on July 1. The new parish will have one…
La Grange twins are Chick Evans scholars
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Long hours spent in the La Grange Country Club’s caddie shack – killing time by reading books or playing cards as they wait to be called to duty – have paid off for a brother and sister. Through the past four years, Caroline and Casey Hart honed their skills, learned…
Fun from above
Spread the love While some folks see heavy snowfall and curse the skies, children in Clearing and Garfield Ridge seemed thrilled with last week’s winter windfall. Schools cancelled classes, and kids like Garfield Ridge sisters Makayla, 10, and 6-year-old Mia Hernandez grabbed their plastic sleds and rode ripples of white all afternoon on a large…
Brother Rice’s 11-game win streak ends with loss to Leo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer In seemingly a blink of an eye, Brother Rice picked up as many losses as it had all season. The Crusaders headed into last weekend’s action with a 21-2 record and was 10-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. But Friday night, they suffered a 56-50 setback to…
Area Sports Roundup: Six area girls bowling teams headed to sectionals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Six area girls bowling teams are headed to sectionals. Reavis and Stagg won IHSA regional titles last Saturday, and four other teams have advanced to this weekend’s action. Reavis won its own regional at Palos Lanes in Palos Hills with a 5,378 in six games, well ahead of…
Marist cheerleaders takes 2nd in state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer After Marist’s cheerleaders watched a video of their state finals performance on Feb. 5, there were some long faces and tears as the girls filed out of the video room and into the cooling-off room. After a long meeting, there were more long faces. “I’ve had better days,”…
Neighbors
Mother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave;…
Comings & Goings: Orange’s Pancake House now open in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos Heights is the home of a popular new breakfast café. Orange’s Pancake House, 11845 Southwest Highway, held a ribbon-cutting event on April 18. Owners, Elvia Briones, of Virgina, and Fernando Cruz, of Evergreen Park, said they were very excited to be in the heart of the Palos Heights community.…
Sisters make Chicago Lawn a world destination
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Earlier this month was the Fifth Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival, with distinguished guests from Lithuania and other parts of the United States visiting the neighborhood. They held a photo session in the editorial office of…
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Yet another Mother’s Day is upon us. I wish everyone a happy day. By everyone I do mean everyone. There are a lot of dads who do it alone, along with important mother…
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…