Take Action
Virtually every American knows or loves someone who is ill, in declining health or living with a chronic medical condition who wants to stay in their own home while they receive treatment.
For all of us, the desire to remain where we are comfortable, especially during our most vulnerable moments, is natural. We want to feel safe and secure in familiar surroundings, close to our loved ones, while receiving high-quality, comprehensive care.
The decision to receive care at home rather than in an institution is a choice not everyone can make. For many people, it is simply not affordable. We need leadership in Congress to help make high-quality home care and hospice a meaningful part of health care reform and a reality for more Americans.
Our first priority must be to prevent the devastating Medicare cuts that have been proposed as part of a good-faith effort to bring health care coverage to all Americans. We are hopeful in this effort because there is strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for home care and hospice.
Every Little Bit Helps
There are many ways to get involved, all of which will make a tremendous difference in preserving the home care and hospice benefits.
- Support the home care community's effort to collect 1,000,000 signatures on a petition to oppose drastic reductions in the Medicare home health benefit. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to sign the online petition to Congress.
- Initiate your own petition campaign today. Please click here to download the campaign materials.
- Contribute to the political action committee that supports the reelection campaigns of home care and hospice heroes.
- Mark Your Calendars for September 15: National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) Host Unprecedented Third 'March on Washington' for 2009.
- Send e-mail letters to members of Congress to urge them to oppose home-health-care cuts in Medicare and preserve Medicare payments to home-health and hospice providers.
- Talk directly to your Senators and Representatives by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 225-3121. Tell them exactly how devastating negative cost margins will add to home health agencies in their states and districts.
- Visit the local offices of your Senators and Representatives during the August recess. Find your legislators.
- Learn more about strategies being employed by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice to avoid deep home health cuts.
- Connect with a state home care and hospice association.
- Share your positive experiences involving home care and hospice with your local media outlets and voice your opinion about the proposed $57 billion Medicare budget cuts.
The Goals for Health Care Reform
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) was created in l982 as a voice for patients who suffer from many complex medical problems who need home and community-based care in order to function and enjoy something resembling a reasonable quality of life. NAHC also represents the caregivers, the nurses and therapists who provide the care, and the organizations who hire such caregivers. NAHC is committed to the highest values:
- Access to health care for all Americans.
- Greater use of technology as a way to both increase the quality of care and make the most efficient use of scarce resources.
- Delivery of the highest quality care at a fair and reasonable price to all who need help.
- Greater emphasis to preventive care.
- Providing all Americans with long term home care and with help in managing for their chronic diseases which NAHC believes must be done simultaneously with extending care to all uninsured persons.
- Justice for all - economic, political and social.
- Fair wages, hours and benefits (particularly including health care coverage) for all home care and hospice workers.
