Every session hundreds of bills are filed but only a few become law. This session I filed a bill regarding an injustice that affects many Hoosiers' quality of life. Studies confirm that, given the choice, most Hoosiers prefer to receive long-term care services at home or in the community, instead of in a nursing home. Yet in 2009, just over 12% of Indiana's long-term care dollars supported older adults and adults with physical disabilities in the home or community, ranking us 45th in the nation. The rest of those dollars (almost 88%) were spent on nursing home care. I authored HB 1325 to allow more elderly and disabled Hoosiers to receive services at home or in the community, as well as to avoid the higher costs associated with our over-reliance on nursing home care. In fact, studies show that we can serve almost three people at home for every person in a nursing home. The bill passed out of the House by a vote of 69-22 but ended up failing to receive a hearing in the Senate. Unfortunately this bill did not make it through the legislative process. HB 1325 would have improved Indiana's capacity to counsel individuals and their families about alternatives to nursing home care. In addition it would have helped families avoid unnecessary nursing home placements by expediting the approval process for home and community-based services and by expanding the ability of individuals to self-direct their care. Another important aspect of this bill is the provision that added flexibility to Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to manage funds at the local level to allow for more patients to stay in their homes. Our elderly and disabled citizens deserve the right to choose where they want to receive care, and we owe it to them to provide a full range of options that best meet their needs, especially when these alternatives can allow more individuals to be served with the same limited dollars. I think this is an important bill, and I will work to provide the utmost care that our elderly and disabled Hoosiers want and deserve. |
