Today, Rep. Frank Kratovil visited the Forest Hill Health & Rehabilitation Center, located in Forest Hill, Md. (Harford County) to speak with long-term care leaders, residents and staff about the budget crisis facing Medicare/Medicaid. Kratovil's tour of the facility, which is a member of the Health Facilities Association of Maryland (HFAM), included a visit to the rehabilitation department and an opportunity to meet with long-term care patients.
After the tour, a roundtable discussion was held about the state of Medicaid/Medicare budgets. Rep. Kratovil stressed the need to find sustainable long-term budgeting solutions to fund our health care needs. Congress is currently debating whether or not to extend FMAP payments to states, which had been included in the Recovery Act passed last year but are currently set to expire at the end of December. Extending these payments would provide additional aid to help states meet the health care needs of vulnerable population, but Kratovil has expressed concerns that the FMAP extension might not be accompanied by spending offsets elsewhere, which would result in increases to the deficit.
"I've worried about the impact that deeper cuts might have on some of our most vulnerable populations, which is why I'll continue to fight against any changes that might lead to a reduction in the quality or accessibility of care." said Rep. Frank Kratovil. "At the same time, the uncertainty these facilities are facing is a perfect example of why we need to develop long-term budgeting solutions to meet our health care needs. Short-term fixes are no substitute for effective, sustainable fiscal policies."
Kratovil had previously opposed health care reform legislation the passed Congress in March, saying at the time that he was unconvinced that the legislation represented a fiscally sustainable approach to reforming health care delivery without compromising the quality of care.
HFAM's 150 member facilities employ more than 18,000 people and provide nearly four million days of Medicaid services per year to 11,000 Medicaid recipients, representing 69 percent of all Maryland Medicaid benefits.