Poll shows a majority of voters oppose cuts to long term care
A new nationwide poll shows that 65 percent of Americans would oppose further cuts to funding for long term care.
“As a former governor, I know firsthand the difficult decisions lawmakers face during these tough economic times,” said Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson, president & CEO of the American Healthcare Association. “Despite the nation’s fiscal difficulties, the American people are very clear on where they don’t want cuts – at the expense of the frail and elderly.”
According to the survey by Zogby International, there is broad concern among likely voters of the impact of inadequate funding – specifically Medicaid funding – on seniors. A recent study by the research group Eljay confirmed these concerns, showing that state Medicaid programs underfunded nursing facility care by $5.6 billion in 2010, on average paying only $7.17 per hour per patient.
“America’s greatest generation deserves a secure healthcare delivery system,” Parkinson said. “This poll shows the bottom line fact that Americans recognize the critical importance of stable funding for the care of seniors in our facilities.”
The survey was conducted via an interactive poll of 2,067 likely voters on Jan. 7-10.
Findings include:
- 65 percent of likely voters say they oppose policies that resulted in cuts to Medicaid funding for nursing home care for America’s poor and elderly.
- 40 percent say they strongly oppose such cuts to nursing home care.
- 66 percent say they would oppose policies that resulted in additional cuts to Medicare funding for nursing home care for seniors, with 39 percent saying they strongly oppose such action.
- 72 percent of likely voters say the federal government’s role in helping states meet their financial obligations to cover programs such as Medicaid is important, with 45 percent saying it is very important.
- 65 percent of likely voters say they support extending additional Medicaid funding to state governments in response to state deficits and economic difficulties, with a third saying they strongly support such action.
