Home Care and Hospice Nurses, Aides and Providers From
All 50 States to March on Washington

Washington, D.C. (March 21, 2012) – The members of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice will come together on March 25-28, 2012, for the annual March on Washington & Law Symposium Conference & Exposition. Representatives from all 50 states will converge on Capitol Hill and execute their right to petition members of the Senate and House, with the goal to encourage Congress to protect and expand access to home care and hospice services for aged, infirm, disabled, and dying Americans.

The conference will be held at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel and will address current hot topics in health care legislation, regulatory issues, technology, home care, private duty and hospice. This dynamic conference brings together hundreds of the nation’s home care and hospice providers - those on the front lines of caring for aged, ill and infirm Americans in the comfort of their own homes. Attendees will hear from m ore than 50 speakers and will earn continuing education credits for attending.

The focus of the conference includes key components-among which are: secure the strategic role congress intends for home care and hospice in addressing the nation’s acute, chronic, and long term care needs; ensure appropriate and adequate reimbursement for and access to Medicare home health services; protect and expand access to home health care under Medicare; protect and expand access to home and community-based services under Medicaid; cosponsor the Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment (HELP) A ct; protect the financial integrity of hospice programs; enact hospice program integrity measures; protect and expand access to home care, including care paid for privately; and, protect access to home care and hospice services, including for care paid directly by individuals.

“Today, millions of America’s seniors and disabled citizens depend on home care services to remain healthy, stable, and out of costly traditional settings,” said Val J. Halamandaris, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “For decades, caring for the elderly, disabled and chronically ill at home has provided a dignified and high-efficient method of treatment. Our goal with this march is to educate elected officials to avoid obstacles to this care.”

Trade media is invited to attend sessions of particular interest:

Monday, March 26, 8:30 am – 10:00 am*: Keynote address by political analysts Alex Castellanos (CNN) and Mark Shields (PBS NewsHour) *Renaissance Mayflower

Tuesday, March 27, 9:00 am – 10:00 am*:  “Senate Breakfast and Briefing” featuring some of the leading voices in Congress that have advocated for home care and hospice in recent years. Confirmed speakers are Senators Susan Collins (ME), Ben Cardin (MD), Tom Carper (DE), and Amy Klobuchar (MN).  Representatives Jim McGovern (MA) and Allyson Schwartz (PA), with more are being added weekly. * Senate Russell Office Building, Caucus Room 325, Washington D.C.

Wednesday, March 28, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm*: Luncheon Keynote address by psychiatrist, author and healer Carl A. Hammerschlag, M.D. *Renaissance Mayflower

To RSVP for these events, please email mrose@gcjpr.com or call 602-690-0801. For more information about the event, please visit the NAHC website .

The annual march comes at a time when the Medicare home care benefit which was $17 billion in 2009 has been cut by $77 billion over the next ten years. As a result of these cuts about 50 percent of all Medicare participating agencies will be under water in 2012 — that is, paid less than their costs by Medicare, even though home care and hospice is more cost effective, saving billions in Medicare expenditures. Currently, the average Medicare cost for a patient to receive home health care is $44 per day, compared to $559 per day in a typical nursing home and $1932 per day for a typical hospital stay. 

About NAHC

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is a nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 33,000 home care and hospice organizations. NAHC also advocates for the more than two million nurses, therapists, aides and other caregivers employed by such organizations to provide in-home services to some 12 million Americans each year who are infirm, chronically ill, and disabled. Along with its advocacy, NAHC provides information to help its members provide the highest quality of care and is committed to excellence in every respect. To learn more about NAHC, visit www.nahc.org.