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Respect for elders means giving them control of their own care
By Christopher N. Speranzo (D-Pittsfield)
The 2005-2006 Legislative Session closed at the end of July after advancing a great deal of work on behalf of elder citizens in the Commonwealth. While this session saw significant funding increases to important programs, the most important single piece of legislation passed on behalf of elders this term was S434 An Act Regarding Choice of Long Term Care Setting, also known as the Equal Choice bill.
Prior to this bill, Massachusetts funded long term care services through MassHealth, entitling a person to a nursing home bed if the individual met the financial and health needs criteria. While many seniors repeatedly expressed their desire to remain in their homes, only a certain number of home care slots were available under the old long-term care structure.
The newly-passed Equal Choice bill mandates that elders will be given a choice of care setting that is the least restrictive and the most appropriate to meet their needs. The services allocated for the care of the individual will follow him or her to their location of choice, whether it is in a nursing home or in a community-based care setting.
In addition to the Equal Choice Bill, the Legislature acted to override numerous gubernatorial vetoes to programs that impact the quality of life for seniors. These overrides included the Open Enrollment for Prescription Advantage, $250,000 for Councils on Aging, and language relative to Adult Day Health Transportation. The Prescription Advantage override ensures that there will be an open enrollment for Prescription Advantage, which has proven to be a helpful program to assist elders in affording their medications. The Legislature also overrode a gubernatorial veto in order to provide services for those in need of transportation from the door of their homes directly to their treatment facility. Finally, the Legislature restored $30.5 million for Medicaid nursing facility rates to ensure that the highest quality care is provided to the Commonwealth’s elders.
The greatest respect we can give our seniors is to give them control of their own care, and that means giving them choices. The Equal Choice bill is an exciting step that will set Massachusetts on course to continue to provide high quality nursing home care while increasing the use of home and community-based services. It has been my pleasure to serve the citizens of the 3rd Berkshire District this term and look forward to continuing the Legislature’s hard work on behalf of the elders of Massachusetts.
Christopher N. Speranzo is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Representative from the third district.