Porter calls for Managed Care shift that puts seniors first

Ranking House Ways and Means Committee Democrat Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement calling on the Holcomb administration and the Family and Social Services Administration to reconsider their approach to the shift to managed care entities:

“Elderly Hoosiers must be our first priority during this change in Indiana's senior care management framework. For over 50 years, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have played a critical role in helping connect seniors to services that will help keep them in their homes. AAAs are embedded in the communities they serve and do not operate with profit margins or shareholders in mind – their work has long been to serve vulnerable seniors. 

“The phase-out of the Medicaid Aged & Disabled waiver on July 1 includes a shift away from AAAs doing case management for seniors to big insurance companies charging the state a flat rate to manage the care of each senior. Now, the FSSA has extricated themselves from any responsibility for working out a reasonable agreement when it comes to adequate compensation between MCEs and the AAAs. By abdicating any decisional role, AAAs will not have the financial capacity to make the transition work for FSSA before Pathways even starts. FSSA could add additional dollars for the AAAs for the per member, per month allocation, or have MCEs allocate some of their allotment to AAAs. This would ensure that the launching of the Pathway program will be successful. I’m deeply concerned that this program is not ready for implementation as we get closer to the July 1st start date. 

“Rarely is a shift from localized to one-size-fits-all care good for the everyday person. I have great concerns that this will prove the same here. Our state's 16 AAAs would be paid less to work more while big insurance companies come in and make a profit. As Indiana's elderly population grows significantly in the next few years, this change that stakeholders have warned will likely result in less services available to seniors will only further strain a healthcare and nursing system we already know is going to be very strained. Our AAAs are the foundation of several, vital community organizations – including Meals on Wheels – which the MCEs simply won’t fund. Hoosier seniors must be allowed to age with dignity, respect and care. I have deep concerns that the path we are headed down is one without that dignity. 

“Finally, it is clear that this drastic cut is yet another way the administration is attempting to cut costs in light of their $1 billion accounting error. It is not lost on us that some of our state's most vulnerable, including the elderly and children with severe disabilities and their families, are considered expendable.”

For interested parties, the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning is hosting a virtual seminar on the Indiana PathWays for Aging program on April 18th at noon ET. Hoosiers aged 60 and over and their caregivers are invited to attend the event to learn more about the program and how to enroll. To register, please click here. Seniors can also call 87-PATHWAY-4 (877-284-9294) to enroll today.