In the Spotlight
The recession has hit Illinois hard and left the state with a budget deficit that will take years to recover. Gov. Pat Quinn has stated that $2.7 billion needs to be carved from Medicaid spending in fiscal year 2013 to keep from going further in the hole. An idea being considered to rein in Medicaid costs is the elimination of 23 "optional" programs.
One program at risk is Supportive Living (SL), the Medicaid-supported model of affordable assisted living. Cuts to this program would be a huge mistake that would have dire consequences for seniors and the disabled living in these facilities, and for the overall financial recovery of the state.
There are currently 134 Supportive Living Facilities (SLFs) in Illinois, with 10,400 apartments in 73 counties operating under a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver, including two in Peoria - Courtyard Estates of Peoria and St. Francis Woods. Together, these two SLFs serve approximately 200 seniors.
SL is a community setting that provides apartment-style living with health and supportive services to seniors and persons with disabilities who might otherwise be in nursing homes. SL helps our seniors and the disabled and plays a big role in reducing the state's Medicaid costs.
How is that possible?
The answer is simple. SL Medicaid rates are set at 60 percent of nursing facility rates. The average Medicaid nursing home rate in Illinois is $120.63 per day. The average SL rate is only $72.38 per day. Additionally, just one 100-unit SLF in Peoria annually generates a substantial amount in taxes while creating up to 40 full-time jobs.
The governor made a commitment to assure residents throughout the state that the Supportive Living model will be supported. Now, this cost-saving and effective model is at risk of losing funding. It's imperative that our legislators recognize and support this valuable living option for seniors and those with disabilities. Programs like SL must be evaluated on how they save the state money and generate economic development, not just by how much they cost. There is a high demand from seniors and others who need affordable assisted living and this demand will continue to grow as our aging population surges, growing an estimated 7.8 percent by 2017, to more than 1.7 million seniors.
Turning our back on the SL program will end up costing the state far more money than it expects to save, further impacting Illinois' financial crisis, not to mention the lives of our senior and disabled populations.
Wayne Smallwood is the executive director of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, headquartered in Springfield.
The recession has hit Illinois hard and left the state with a budget deficit that will take years to recover. Gov. Pat Quinn has stated that $2.7 billion needs to be carved from Medicaid spending in fiscal year 2013 to keep from going further in the hole. An idea being considered to rein in Medicaid costs is the elimination of 23 "optional" programs.
One program at risk is Supportive Living (SL), the Medicaid-supported model of affordable assisted living. Cuts to this program would be a huge mistake that would have dire consequences for seniors and the disabled living in these facilities, and for the overall financial recovery of the state.
There are currently 134 Supportive Living Facilities (SLFs) in Illinois, with 10,400 apartments in 73 counties operating under a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver, including two in Peoria - Courtyard Estates of Peoria and St. Francis Woods. Together, these two SLFs serve approximately 200 seniors.
SL is a community setting that provides apartment-style living with health and supportive services to seniors and persons with disabilities who might otherwise be in nursing homes. SL helps our seniors and the disabled and plays a big role in reducing the state's Medicaid costs.
How is that possible?
The answer is simple. SL Medicaid rates are set at 60 percent of nursing facility rates. The average Medicaid nursing home rate in Illinois is $120.63 per day. The average SL rate is only $72.38 per day. Additionally, just one 100-unit SLF in Peoria annually generates a substantial amount in taxes while creating up to 40 full-time jobs.
The governor made a commitment to assure residents throughout the state that the Supportive Living model will be supported. Now, this cost-saving and effective model is at risk of losing funding. It's imperative that our legislators recognize and support this valuable living option for seniors and those with disabilities. Programs like SL must be evaluated on how they save the state money and generate economic development, not just by how much they cost. There is a high demand from seniors and others who need affordable assisted living and this demand will continue to grow as our aging population surges, growing an estimated 7.8 percent by 2017, to more than 1.7 million seniors.
Turning our back on the SL program will end up costing the state far more money than it expects to save, further impacting Illinois' financial crisis, not to mention the lives of our senior and disabled populations.
Wayne Smallwood is the executive director of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, headquartered in Springfield.
# As published by: pjstar.com | Peoria, IL | Apr 20, 2012
http://www.pjstar.com/opinion/spotlight/x513712761/In-the-Spotlight-Supportive-living-facilities-save-state-money
1 comment:
While saving money is great, it shouldn't come at the cost of supportive living! Those facilities are essential to hundreds of families! Money will be lost when those families suddenly can't afford care for their loved ones. Thiago | http://www.rivervalleyslf.com
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