The Week in Health Care Defense

Please note that they will be hosting a webinar tomorrow morning at 11:00.

 

 

Over 6 million older Americans rely on Medicaid, and proposed changes to Medicaid funding that Congress could begin work on as early as next week could leave many older adults unable to visit their doctors, receive life-saving preventive care, or get the help they need to age at home and in their communities safely and in dignity. Be prepared and join us on Tuesday, March 7 for a free webinar to learn about how Medicaid caps would affect the older adults you serve, and discuss advocacy strategies to protect this lifeline program. Register here, and read more on our health care defense webpage. With many versions of potential ACA replacement and Medicaid changes floating around DC, no consensus has emerged. Here's what we are watching in Washington this week: Budget Bills Likely To Include Medicaid Funding Caps, Cuts; GOP Congress and Governors Can't Agree On a Proposal The House is expected to mark up budget bills in committee next week to repeal and replace the ACA and to cap Medicaid funding. Last week, an older draft of a GOP Congressional leadership health care bill was leaked, and today, details from a more current draft were released. Both are consistent with previous proposals that cut Medicaid funding to states through block grants or per-capita allotments and repeal Medicaid expansion. As presented to the National Governor's Association last week (and leaked to the press), current GOP proposals for Medicaid caps and ACA changes would result in millions of people losing coverage and a large cost-shifting to states. Republican Governors are working on their own Medicaid reform proposal as well, and no consensus has been reached.   100 National Groups Tell Congress, Reject Cuts and Caps to Medicaid Today, Justice in Aging joined the Medicare Rights Center, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and 97 other national organizations to send a letter to Congressional leadership expressing grave concerns with proposals that would radically change Medicaid. Read the full letter. Voices for Medicare Summit The Center for Medicare Advocacy's fourth annual National Voices of Medicare Summit & Senator Jay Rockefeller Lecture is taking place on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC. Register here to join experts and advocates discussing best practices, challenges and successes in efforts to improve health care, long-term services and supports, and quality of life for older people and people with disabilities. The event will highlight the real stories and voices of Medicare beneficiaries and their families. Senator Sherrod Brown will be this year's Sen. Jay Rockefeller Lecturer.   CMS Leadership Taking Shape On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Seema Verma to be CMS Administrator along party lines. The Senate is expected to vote to confirm Verma next week. Brian Neale, who served as health care policy director when Vice President Pence was Governor of Indiana, has been appointed as the Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS). New Resources <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>Impact of Block Grants and Per Capita Caps on Medicaid Enrollees: 50 State Fact Sheets, AARP Public Policy Institute <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>What Makes Medicaid, Medicaid? Services, National Health Law Program <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>How Affordable Care Act Repeal and Replace Plans Might Shift Health Insurance Tax Credits, Kaiser Family Foundation <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>GOP Tax Credit Proposal No Substitute for the ACA's Flexible Credit, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities   Connect with Us   Justice In Aging 1444 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 1330 Broadway, Suite 525 Oakland, CA 94612 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 718 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Unsubscribe

Posted on behalf of Barbara Finch, Children and Adult Network Director

Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services

 

 

 

Caregiver Survey - information and an invitation

 

Dear AAN members,

 

As most of you are aware, the Santa Barbara Foundation has been funding a number of community nonprofits around the issue of supporting family caregivers of seniors and developing better coordination of services for them.  The goal is to strengthen family caregivers and in doing so to strengthen the long-term care safety net for Santa Barbara County.  This evolving work is now being called the Community Caregiving Initiative (or CCI for short).  The Community Caregiving Initiative is interested in expanding its engagement with all organizations that are working with family caregivers of seniors in Santa Barbara County by inviting individual caregivers to participate in a survey.     

 

While all organizations receiving foundation support through the Community Caregiving Initiative are participating in the survey distribution, your organization is invited to participate in the survey process, even if you are not currently a recipient for a Family Caregiver Systems & Support grant.  Our goal is to look at services and networks that support family caregivers of seniors across the county.  Later in 2017, we anticipate an open grant process for the Community Caregiving Initiative and organizations that are participating in the survey/evaluation process will receive priority consideration for funding.  Additionally, as a participating organization, you will receive information that can be used to help inform your program design and provide a deeper understanding of family caregivers. 

 

Here are the details:

 

Survey purpose: To understand the experiences of family caregivers in Santa Barbara County, improve services to family caregivers across the county, and evaluate the efforts of the Community Caregiving Initiative. The survey is available in English and Spanish, is confidential, and will take 10-15 minutes to complete.

 

Survey participation:  We need your help to invite family caregivers to participate in the survey. Inviting a caregiver to participate should take one minute or less.  A “caregiver survey invitation script for agency staff” is attached for those who will have direct contact with caregivers at their agency/in their work and be inviting them to participate. Also attached is a “caregiver survey invitation to print and give to caregivers” that describes the survey purpose and provides the url/weblink. Helping recruit for the survey can be as simple as

 

•        Using the script to invite caregivers and providing them with a computer or tablet to take the survey while they are at your agency, OR

•        Inviting caregivers in-person or via email and providing them with the url/weblink (http://www.sbfoundation.org/caregiver-survey), OR

•        Inviting caregivers and providing them a paper survey to complete and give/mail back to you.

 

If you wish to look at the survey, please do NOT use the actual survey link.  If you do so, you will be logged in as a caregiver survey participant.  The survey can be found as a an attachment to this email and as a PDF document on the partner resources page mentioned in the next paragraph.

 

All information about the survey administration (including FAQ’s, a .pdf of the survey itself, an invitation script, and a printable invitation) can be found at this link:  http://www.sbfoundation.org/cci-partner-resources.  This link is the location where you and your staff will find the tools to assist you initiate the survey.

 

Caregiver incentives:  All caregivers that complete the survey will have the option of receiving a $5 electronic gift card that will be emailed to them within 3 weeks. We will provide up to 300 $5 gift cards every 6 months.  In order to receive an incentive, an email address must be provided at the time the survey is completed.

 

The best way for caregivers to participate is by completing the online survey.  Survey pdf files are also attached) if you need to print and provide paper copies to caregivers who prefer it to the online survey. Any paper surveys that are collected from caregivers will need to be entered into the online survey by agency staff.

 

Our goal: Have 300 caregivers across Santa Barbara County complete the survey every six months. We will provide weekly updates on the number of completed surveys received from each partner agency. Once we collect 300 we will close the survey for that six month period, and reopen it when again in 6 months.   We hope to reach the initial goal of 300 caregivers surveyed by April 1^st.  Findings from the survey will be shared and interpreted by participating agencies at bi-annual “data parties”. The first data party is Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 and will be held at the Santa Barbara Foundation.  Please mark your calendar and be on the lookout for further details. 

 

Survey FAQs: We have developed a list of frequently asked questions with answers about the survey. PLEASE READ THESE BEFORE YOU RECRUIT CAREGIVERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY. If you have a question that isn’t answered on this sheet please let us know and we’ll answer it and add it for others to read.

 

Webinar recording: You can access a recording of the webinar provided on January 10th describing the survey and methods at the Evaluation Specialists website. Instructions for recruiting caregivers to participate in the survey, and other important details, can be found in the FAQs.  The webinar can be viewed at the following link: 

 

Evaluation Specialists  www.evaluationspecialists.com

Navigate to the ‘Client Portal’ and login using the following information:

Username – SBCCCI

Password - sbccci

 

Information Requested:  Organizations that will be participating in the survey process are requested to respond to this message by sending the names and email addresses of the person(s) who will be the direct point of contact with caregivers for the survey and the person who will be responsible for oversight of the survey administration.  Please feel free to share this message with your contacts at other organizations that are serving family caregivers.

 

Questions: We are happy to answer any questions you have. Please contact me by phone or email.  My contact information is found below.

 

While the survey we are discussing in this message is designed for caregivers themselves, one additional survey to be completed by an organization serving caregivers will be distributed in the near future.  Please be on the lookout for this and additional information about it.

 

Thank you in advance for your efforts in helping Santa Barbara County engage our family caregivers.  

 

Best regards,

 

 

Phylene

---

Phylene Wiggins

Senior Director of Community Investments

 

Santa Barbara Foundation

1111 Chapala Street, Suite 200
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 880-9353
pwiggins@sbfoundation.org
sbfoundation.org

Reimagine Philanthropy

 

Posted on behalf of Phylene Wiggins, Senior Director of Community Investments

Santa Barbara Foundation

 

 

GOP Releases New Repeal and Replace Proposal

 

Congress prepares to go on recess and the ACA repeal/replacement heats up. Here's what we are seeing from Washington regarding health care for older adults: GOP Releases New Repeal and Replace Proposal Republicans have released their latest proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The new plan aims to dramatically change and cut Medicaid by capping federal funding through block grants or per-capita allotments. The new proposal relies extensively on Paul Ryan's "A Better Way" plan and includes proposals to reduce the amount of tax credits, reintroduce high risk pools, and promotes health savings accounts, which benefit higher income individuals. Justice in Aging released a new fact sheet today on how cuts to Medicaid through capped Medicaid funding will harm older adults. For more detailed information on how capped Medicaid funding will impact older adults, see our issue brief.   FY 2017 Budget Reconciliation Bills after President's Day Recess Republicans are now aiming to introduce ACA repeal and replace budget reconciliation bills at the end of February, after the President's Day recess. As discussed above, Medicaid capped funding proposals are expected. House Congressional Committees are tentatively scheduled to start hearings on February 28th. Congress On Recess Next Week Congress goes on recess next week. Many members of Congress will be home and holding town halls. It is an excellent opportunity to meet with your Congressional representatives and tell them your concerns about changes to Medicaid and the ACA. For more information on events that are happening in your area, check out the Save My Care website.   CMS Releases New Rule on ACA Marketplaces CMS released a new proposed rule on Wednesday that proposes changes to the ACA Marketplace that favor insurers over consumers. These changes include shortening the open enrollment period, requiring additional documentation to enroll during special enrollment periods, and changing the actuarial value of Marketplace plans. The deadline to submit comment is March 7. Senate Finance Held Hearing For CMS Administrator Nominee Seema Verma On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing for CMS Administrator nominee Seema Verma. The Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing after the President's Day recess. Seema Verma is currently a healthcare consultant who has worked extensively on the Indiana Medicaid program, as well as Medicaid waivers in numerous states including Iowa, Ohio, and Kentucky.   New Resources <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>Medicaid Financing: Dangers of Block Grants and Per Capita Caps, Center for Law and Social Policy <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>Medicaid's Role for Medicare Beneficiaries, Kaiser Family Foundation <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>Premium Support and the Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries, AARP <![if !supportLists]>·      <![endif]>Webinar: Protect Medicaid Webinar Series: Per Capita Caps/Block Grant Program Cuts, National Health Law Program   Connect with Us   Justice In Aging 1444 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 1330 Broadway, Suite 525 Oakland, CA 94612 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 718 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Unsubscribe

 

Posted on behalf of Barbara Finch, Children and Adult Network Director

Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services

 

Growing our SSI Advocacy to Meet Greater Need

 

Older adults across the nation are fighting for their economic security. They face numerous threats in 2017 as Congress moves to make drastic cuts to the safety net they rely on to meet their basic needs and access health care. In response, Justice in Aging is launching a new SSI Improvement and Protection Project. Under this project, we will be able to fight even harder for the economic security of low-income older adults, with a particular focus towards helping low-income seniors use SSI benefits to avoid or escape homelessness. Low-income seniors are especially at risk as the new Congress moves to cut funding and restrict benefits for programs administered by the Social Security Administration. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is one such program that provides a basic monthly income to those seniors and people with disabilities with no or very few other assets. SSI is a program of last resort for millions of seniors that will only become more important in the coming years as more seniors age into poverty. We'll be using all of the tools at our disposal to protect and improve the SSI program for seniors. We're creating more SSI trainings and materials, and working in coalition with partners in the hunger, homelessness, and healthcare spaces to build a larger national network of advocates who can help older adults access SSI. We're also increasing our legislative advocacy and litigation capacity to protect SSI and make the program more responsive to the needs of older adults in poverty. In addition to our work at the federal level and with advocates across the country, our project will have a special California focus. We are hiring an additional attorney in our Los Angeles office to help us increase the tailored trainings and resources we create for California's SSI advocates. We will also be addressing problems that impact California seniors' access to SSI in particular.  And we will continue our collaboration with Californians for SSI to fully restore the State Supplemental Payment. Stay tuned for more regular communications about our SSI efforts, more materials and trainings you can use in your work, and more information about how you can help us fight for low-income seniors!

Posted on behalf of Barbara Finch, Children & Adult Network Director

Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services

 

Tickets Selling Fast to Friendship Center's 18th Annual Festival of Hearts!

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About Us For Caregivers Programs Make A Donation Events Contact Us Don't miss out... tickets are going fast!  VEEP Heart by Julia Louis-Dreyfus   Saturday, February 11 11:30 - 2:30 p.m. The Fess Parker - Reagan Room  633 E. Cabrillo Blvd.   Enjoy a delicious lunch with local wines...    dust off your Aloha shirts, stylin' sarongs,   huarache sandals too--surf's up!   Silent Auction: Unique Heart-Art by local artists and celebrities, including 2017 SB International Film Festival honoree   Jeff Bridges and Seinfeld/VEEP star Julia Louis-Dreyfus!   Live Auction: Travel, adventure, and luxury packages with your favorite auctioneer, Gail Rappaport   Musical entertainment by Montecito Jazz Project All proceeds from the event support our H.E.A.R.T. (Help Elders At Risk Today) Program, subsidizing the cost of adult day services for low-income aging and dependent adults and their families. Click for tickets and full event information! California bears frolic on Cheryl Guthrie's heart!    Friendship Center | 805-969-0859 | www.friendshipcentersb.org 89 Eucalyptus Lane . Santa Barbara . CA . 93108 820 N Fairview Ave . Goleta . CA . 93117  Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Friendship Center, 89 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 SafeUnsubscribe™ d.tivey.secretword@blogger.com Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by justine@friendshipcentersb.org in collaboration with Try it free today

Healthier Living

 

Please click here to see the flyer attached with details on Healthier Living: Managing Ongoing Health Conditions, the evidence based workshop for anyone affected by chronic illness of any kind.  Please share this information with others who may be interested.  Many thanks,

 

Posted on behalf of Margaret Weiss, MPH

Health Education Director, Sansum Clinic

 

Resources for Advocacy

Members of the Adult & Aging Network,

 

Our Regional Coalition call this morning suggested “Justice in Aging” as a good resource for policy updates at the federal level.  I encourage you to check out their website and sign up for their newsletters if you are so inclined.  www.justiceinaging.org/

 

Next Wednesday Families USA is hosting a webinar about the future of Medicaid  - information and registration at this link:

https://cc.readytalk.com/registration/#/?meeting=jtl0nu3kbe2d&campaign=29kngskenby9 

 

Their website is also very informative on health care issues:  http://familiesusa.org/  

 

Please click here for a brief about the Affordable Care Act and Dementia was sent by one of our partners in Los Angeles.

 

Hope you find them helpful.

 

Posted on behalf of Barbara Finch, Children & Adult Network Director

Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services