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LeadingAge's Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) team provides information and resources to keep our members informed about legislative, operational, and legal issues and opportunities affecting HCBS.

Advocacy Alert: Prevent Automatic Spending Cuts January 1

Federal funding for aging services programs will be cut substantially as of Jan. 1, 2013, unless Congress acts before the end of the year to prevent the automatic spending reductions, known as sequestration. The Budget Control Act of 2011 called on Congress to reduce the federal budget deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Congress so far has been unable to pass deficit reduction legislation to satisfy this requirement. According to a report by the Office of Management and Budget, sequestration will cut Medicare Home Health and Hospice reimbursement by 2%. The Administration on Aging, which manages Older Americans Act programs, would get an 8.2% cut, amounting to $121 million. Medicaid is one of the few federal programs that would be exempt from the automatic spending cuts. There is no denying the seriousness of the federal budget situation and the need for shared sacrifice to address it.

Act Now
 

Featured Content


Elder Abuse: How Technology is Spreading Awareness

Technology was in the media spotlight as advocates for older adults prepared to celebrate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. More

How iCanConnect is Helping Those with Hearing, Vision Loss Pay for Technology

A new federal program is helping about 600 consumers who are blind and deaf to purchase communications technology and learn how to use it. A national campaign called iCanConnect is working hard to increase that number. More

Bruce Chernof to Serve as Chair of Long-Term Care Commission

The Congressional Long-Term Care Commission recently announced that Bruce Chernof, president of the SCAN foundation, will serve as its chair. An article by Howard Gleckman in Forbes provides more details on the commission, including information on its first meeting, which is set for June 27. More

Creative Engagement: The Path to Wellness

Older adults would never expect the person dropping off their home-delivered meals to encourage them to sing a favorite song or cook up a good story. But that's exactly what Anne Basting is asking volunteer drivers from a Milwaukee-based meal-delivery agency to do as part of a community-based arts project called "The Islands of Milwaukee."  More

What Does Wellness Look Like for Your Organization?

By all indications wellness has become increasingly important in the aging services field. A recent  random (albeit unscientific) sampling of LeadingAge-member home pages revealed wellness in many forms including:  images of elders working at a pottery wheel, an advertisement for an upcoming health and wellness fair, marketing copy that described a full-service fitness center, and a prominent  link to healthy aging resources. More