EMPOWER Care Act
EMPOWER Care Act
Synopsis:
Update (12/10/18): A revised version of H.R. 5306 would reauthorize the program until 2019 and appropriate $900 million. It is intended to be a stop-gap measure to cover funding until the the next Congress convenes in early 2019, when members will consider a broader reauthorization.
Update (12/10/18): A revised version of H.R. 5306 would reauthorize the program until 2019 and appropriate $900 million. It is intended to be a stop-gap measure to cover funding until the the next Congress convenes in early 2019, when members will consider a broader reauthorization.
S. 2227 would appropriate $2.25 billion for a program that supports Medicaid recipients transitioning from institutional care to home- and community-based services. The program, Money Follows the Person (MFP), was created in 2005 with strong bipartisan support. Its funding expired in 2016. S. 2227 would return MFP funding to its 2016 level—$450 million per year until 2022. It would also decrease from three months to two the amount of time an individual has to spend in an institution before he or she qualifies for the program. MFP supporters point out that in its 11 years of existence, the program enabled more than 75,000 people to move from institutions to community-based living, where large majorities reported an improvement in their medical treatment and quality of life. They also cite data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicating that increasing home- and community-based services decreases Medicaid expenditure by 20–30 percent. While there is currently no active opposition to the EMPOWER Care Act, supporters are concerned that lawmakers may balk at the $2.25 billion cost.
Supporters:
Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.); Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Kan.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.); American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Association of Medicaid Directors, National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities, National Council on Independent Living, National Health Law Program, The Arc.
Opponents:
None reported.
Links to Additional Resources:
Sen. Portman’s press release on bill’s introduction
Rep. Dingell’s one-page MFP fact sheet
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2017 Report on MFP
Mathematica Policy Research collection of reports on MFP
Letter of support from State Medicaid, Aging and Developmental Disabilities Services Directors
Letter of support from national, regional and state advocacy groups
Disability Scoop: “Federal Program That Moves People Out Of Institutions In Jeopardy”
Disability Scoop: “Future Uncertain As Money To Move People Out Of Institutions Runs Dry”
This entry was posted in and tagged 2227, 5306, deinstitutionalization, entitlements, HCBS, hr 5306, hr5306, institution, LTSS, Medicaid, Money Follows the Person, s 2227, s2227, welfare.