Debate continues on Capitol Hill about the Build Back Better Plan, however one area where there is no debate is about the importance of home and community-based services. HCAOA encourages all members to take just a minute and send a message to their Senators asking them to support the expansion of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in the plan. The Senate could vote when they return after the new year, and HCAOA wants to make sure they are flooded with messages from the home care industry.
“Never let the things you can’t do stop you from doing what you can.” – former President Ronald Reagan The past two years have been hard. 2020 hit us with the COVID-19 pandemic and 2021 witnessed us working hard to navigate a new normal and come back. However, you, and the invaluable work you and your staff do for older adults and their families, and individuals with disabilities continually inspire the Home Care Association of America. We have walked alongside many of your organizations and have watched as you have fully embodied the quote above. We are committed to strengthening you - our members - through advocacy, education and research for the advancement of home care. Though COVID is not gone yet, the opportunities for and recognition of our industry abounds now more than ever before. Opinion: To Fix the Healthcare People Problem We Must Address Education, Immigration, and Regulation12/22/2021 Steven Landers, MD, MPH, President & CEO of VNA Health Group, has been at the forefront of exploring ways to address the “people problem” in the U.S. healthcare industry, where there aren’t enough available caregivers to meet the needs of the public. He recently posted a blog suggesting that addressing education, immigration, and regulation is key to solving this crisis. HCAOA encourages all members, before they begin holiday celebrations with family and friends, to please take just a minute this week to send a message to Senators asking them to support the expansion of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in the Build Back Better plan. In the news this week, it seems that this proposal might not have the votes it needs to pass. However, the Senate is set to vote when they return after the holiday, and HCAOA wants to make sure they are flooded with messages from home care providers on this issue.
The voting is now closed for the 2022 HCAOA Board of Directors elections. Four incumbent members retained their seats, and two new members were elected to the Board.
HCAOA In-Depth: Evolution of Home Care & How Honor’s Acquisition of Home Instead Impacts Market12/22/2021 An Interview with Honor Co-Founder and CEO Seth Sternberg
Late last week, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on the OSHA rule requiring covered employers to ensure workers have received the COVID vaccine or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Employers with at least 100 employees will need to determine the COVID-19 vaccination status of their employees and develop a written vaccine-or-testing policy under the OSHA rule. To give employers time to comply, OSHA will not enforce any requirements under its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) until Jan. 10. Additionally, the agency "will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard's testing requirements before Feb. 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good-faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard," according to an OSHA update.
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide to block this directive again. Also last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a nationwide injunction put into place on Nov. 30, ruling that the injunction halting enforcement of the CMS vaccine mandate nationwide should apply only to the 14 states involved in that lawsuit. Eleven other states had previously challenged the CMS Rule in separate actions. The end result is that the CMS vaccine mandate remains in place in the 14 states who were parties to the original litigation: Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The CMS vaccine mandate is also enjoined for the time being in the 10 states litigating in the District of Missouri: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. HCAOA will provide up-to-the-minute updates as they become available. Click here for an updated memo from Polsinelli with the latest information about the mandates. |
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