NSCLC seeks to ensure that low-income older adults have access to affordable health care and that more people receive long term services and supports at home and in the community.
To achieve its objectives, NSCLC uses advocacy and litigation as well as provides education and counseling to local advocates who work with low-income older adults.
The key federal programs on which we focus our advocacy are: Medicare (with an emphasis on Part D) and Medicaid. In 2012, we are focused in particular on dual eligibles and the state demonstration projects under development as a result of the health reform law.
In California, the programs we primarily work on are Medi-Cal and the In Home Services and Supports (IHSS) program.
In addition, we work on many long term services and supports issues including assisted living, home and community based services, and nursing homes. NSCLC’s Federal Rights Project is working to protect the health reform law from state challenges.
2012 Priorities
We seek to:
- Champion consumer protection for those nine million people who have both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) as new models of care, authorized by the health reform law, are developed
- Ensure that health reform law provisions related to long term services and supports (LTSS) are implemented to the fullest extent possible and that states use new options to provide home and community based LTSS as an alternative to institutionalization.
- Decrease health disparities among low income older adults by ensuring effective implementation of language access and data collection provisions of the health reform law.
2011 Accomplishments
Last year, NSCLC:
- Preserved access to Adult Day Health Care services for 35,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities in California are not forced into nursing homes.
- Provided expert guidance to policymakers and advocates on how to improve care and ensure consumer protection for people with both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) in new integrated models encouraged by the health reform law.
- Ensured that insurance plans translate Medicare materials for limited English proficiency beneficiairies by advocating for stronger rules for private Medicare plans.
- Created interest and action through the release of a landmark study on LGBT Older Adults’ concerns about long-term care
