Lowe In The News

JACKSON SUN SUPPORTS SEN. FINNEY'S CHOICES ACT

The Jackson Sun editorial board recently wrote of its support of the Choices Act of 2008 that Sen. Finney sponsored to give more seniors high-quality home care. The original version is below, along with Sen. Finney's letter to the editor.

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Choices Act good for Tenn. senior citizens | March 8, 2010

Tennessee finally will move up in the rankings in how it helps senior citizens who need home- and community-based care. The state ranks dead last on how it spends Medicaid (TennCare) funds for these services. Thanks to the Long-term Care Choices Act of 2008 that is being introduced across the state, more senior citizens will be able to remain in their homes.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has made improving in-home care options for seniors a priority. Even at that, it has taken several years to get the program approved and in place because of strong lobbying efforts from nursing home providers. Tennessee and the federal government spend almost $1 billion on long-term care in the state. About 95 percent of that is paid to nursing homes.

Many seniors who qualify for age- and health-related services are able, and would prefer, to receive those services at home. In the past, TennCare rules would require them to move to a nursing home. The Choices Act gives them an alternative.

Many seniors need small amounts of help with basic functions such as bathing, housekeeping and meal preparation. It is unfortunate that they are forced to give up the physical and psychological comforts of their homes and family to receive such help.

The new program has begun operating in Middle Tennessee and will be available statewide by July 1. TennCare officials expect to enroll about 9,500 seniors.

This program also is an important development because the number of seniors needing such assistance is expected to triple in coming years. Redistributing TennCare's long-term care dollars makes sense. The new rules will make the system more efficient.

The program also will allow nursing homes to expand services to providing in-home assistance and services such as delivering well-prepared and nutritious meals. The Choices program also will stretch TennCare dollars because in-home services are less expensive to provide.

Seniors who want to qualify for the new program will be screened after they have submitted applications. They must meet certain requirements for age, income and disability status. The new application process is designed to get seniors who qualify approved within 10 days.

The new long-term choices program has been years in the making. It will be a solid new addition to TennCare and a great benefit to seniors across Tennessee.

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Sen. Finney's March 15 letter to the editor: Choices Act is in best interest of our seniors

I was pleased to see the March 8 editorial ("Choices Act good for Tenn. senior citizens") praising the Long-term Care Community Choices Act of 2008, which I sponsored when I first arrived to the state legislature. The law will give about 9,500 seniors the option to receive in-home assistance and stay out of nursing homes, and the Bureau of TennCare estimates that the program will open to an additional 3,000 seniors across the state by the end of the year.

I am proud to have sponsored the "Choices" Act, and I look forward to working on expanding this program to efficiently use our tax dollars and provide seniors more options for their long-term health care needs.

State Sen. Lowe Finney

Jackson