Sign On Letter for Organizations -Deadline is 8PM ET Monday February 26
February 27, 2017
Dear Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Palone, Chairman Burgess, Ranking Member Green, Representative Guthrie, and Representative Dingell:
The undersigned organizations strongly support extension of the Money Follows the Person. We applaud introduction of bipartisan legislation by Representatives Guthrie and Dingell to do so and urge swift passage.
The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration – first authorized in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 with strong bipartisan support and signed into law by President Bush – was designed to assist states with:
1) Supporting Medicaid enrollees who want to transition from nursing facilities and other institutional setting back to community-based settings; and
2) Developing infrastructure to promote and enhance access to HCBS.
Impact of Money Follows the Person
Since its inception, 47 states have participated and over 75,000 individuals have been transitioned back to the community. According to independent evaluations by Mathematica:
· Participants report significant and lasting improvements in quality of life and community integration after returning to the community.
· Findings suggest that after individuals return to the community, their overall Medicare and Medicaid expenditures decrease by roughly 23%.
States have made significant progress on “balancing” their long-term services and supports system to enhance access for HCBS, due in part to MFP. In FY05, states only spent approximately 37% of their LTSS expenditures on HCBS. According to the most recent data, states now spend over 53% on HCBS.
Need For Extension
While states have made great progress, more work is needed. Significant variations remain across states and different populations who need HCBS. For example, HCBS accounted for 75% of spending in programs targeting people with developmental disabilities, compared to only 41% of expenditures for programs targeting older people, people with physical disabilities, and people with serious mental illness. Over 50,000 nursing home residents said they wanted to talk with someone about leaving their facility, but never received a referral to a local agency that could help them, according to recent analyses of Nursing Home Minimum Data Set reporting. States have learned lessons and can share promising practices with other states.
Unfortunately, the program expired on September 30, 2016. While states can continue to use remaining grant funding through 2020, they are currently scaling back their programs and reducing dedicated staff and resources. The most recent national evaluation indicates that last year was the first year that number of new transitions through the program declined. We are beginning to lose the momentum and progress we have made.
We commend you and your staff for the bipartisan process to develop this legislation, which will extend the program through 2022, remove barriers for individuals and states, enhance accountability, and contribute to sharing of best practices across states. This will assist states with achieving cost-efficiencies in their Medicaid programs while simultaneously enhancing opportunities for individuals to live independently and age with dignity in their homes and communities.
We applaud you for your leadership and look forward to working with you on passage.