On March 15, 2011, Howie Groff, immediate past chair of the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) and Executive Committee/Board of Directors member of Care Providers of Minnesota, participated in a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging roundtable on assisted living. On behalf of NCAL, Groff provided the committee with information and positions on a variety of issues impacting assisted living as a provider and from a national perspective. Howie provided answers to 40 questions for the record and submitted a statement in advance of his participation in the round table. View an interview with Howie filmed before the hearing.

“What an honor it is for Minnesota to have one of our own represent the entire profession at this very important national hearing. Howie’s detailed presentation reflecting both state and national experiences as well as his solid research in preparing for this opportunity exemplified the best of our profession—I am proud to call him a member,” said Patti Cullen, President/CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota.

In his comments to the committee, Groff expressed concern that state budget shortfalls are going to further reduce Medicaid coverage for the nation’s 131,000 assisted living residents. “Sub-market payment rates, lack of payment for room and board, and restrictive state policies are the root causes of limited options for low-income seniors in many states,” he said. “The issues facing Medicaid coverage in assisted living are fundamentally economic, not regulatory,” said Groff.

As a solution, he suggested that the Department of Housing and Urban Development make housing vouchers available to cover the room and board portion of assisted living. He advocated for increased public financing to build affordable assisted living projects and additional incentives to encourage families to save for long-term care costs. “It is imperative for policymakers to consider ways to expand the availability of affordable assisted living and to help states cover the funding gaps that currently exist,” he said.

When asked about federal regulation, Groff told the Senate panel, “NCAL strongly supports regulation of assisted living at the state level. States continuously modify their rules to meet changing resident needs.” He urged that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proceed cautiously when defining Medicaid community-based settings. CMS should not exclude assisted living providers from the Medicaid program, he said. “Any attempt to mandate that HCB services be provided in small, board and care settings is wrong. Such a narrow definition eliminates choice and would discriminate against people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.”

Beyond regulation, Groff informed the committee that NCAL has spearheaded numerous innovative quality initiatives that raise the bar for consumer satisfaction. Groff asked that these efforts be nurtured by policymakers.

As many of you know, Howie is president of Tealwood Care Centers, which operates 40 assisted living and nursing facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Tealwood has 3,450 employees, and serves 1,201 assisted living residents and 1,298 skilled nursing facility residents. He is the immediate past chair of NCAL, serving as chair from 2007 to 2009.

Phil Manz
952.851.2484
pmanz@careproviders.org

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