Statement of the Ohio Health Care Association

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- OHCA applauds the Governor's decision to eliminate waitlists for PASSPORT, the Assisted Living Waiver, and PACE. It is a move that OHCA has long supported and is an important step in creating a strong, robust continuum of care to serve the needs of Ohio's elderly and disabled citizens. However, it is just one step that is necessary if we want to ensure that the most vulnerable among us, those who need the services of Ohio's skilled nursing facilities, will receive the care they need and deserve.

The next critical step for the Administration is to roll back the 92% increase in the per bed franchise fee imposed on Ohio's skilled nursing facilities in this biennium. The increase has put an incredible strain on those facilities' ability to continue to deliver the quality of care we all want our elderly and disabled citizens to receive. The key to caring for our elderly and disabled rests on strengthening the entire continuum of care. If we address only one segment of the continuum, particularly if it is done on the backs of another segment, we weaken the whole.

We would strongly encourage the Governor to quickly act to address this serious issue in our elderly care services delivery system and provide those who need skilled nursing services and those who have loved ones in need of those services with the peace of mind they deserve that quality care will continue to be available when they need it.

The Ohio Health Care Association is a non-profit association of nearly 700 nursing homes, assisted living residences, and facilities for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, representing 64,000 individuals.  It is the largest long-term care association in the state, and the only chartered Ohio affiliate of the American Health Care Association, representing more than 12,000 long-term care facilities nationwide.

SOURCE Ohio Health Care Association