VNS Health Clinicians Lobby Congress to Stop Home Health Cuts – You Can Too (Virtually)!
Last week, Margarita Roldan, a senior social worker with VNS Health Home Care in the Bronx, and Raquel Webb-Geddes, a VNS Health Home Care nurse on Long Island and a Federation of Nurses/UFT Chapter Leader, joined the Government Affairs Team in Washington, DC, where they called on Congress to halt billions of dollars in Medicare home health cuts that are impacting VNS Health and providers and patients across the country.
(Photo right: Dan Lowenstein, Jonathan Shabshaikhes, Margarita Roldan, Raquel Webb-Geddes, and Cai Yoke from Bayada in front of the U.S. Capitol on NAHC Advocacy Day. )
Sharing Mission Stories
During their visits, which were part of the National Association of Home Health Care and Hospice Advocacy Day, Raquel and Margarita told Members of Congress and their teams compelling stories about what it takes to provide skilled home health care to people in their homes.
Raquel, representing both the Federation of Teachers/UFT and VNS Health, explained what’s involved in providing nursing care to patients in their homes, including assessing and addressing multiple conditions at the same time.
Margarita shared information on the role of culturally competent social work in home health, including how social workers educate their clients and connect them to essential services. Both also talked about their struggles caring for patients during a major home health workforce crisis.
Explaining How the Workforce Crisis Is Impacting Care
In addition, VNS Health Government Affairs representatives Dan Lowenstein and Jonathan Shabshaikhes discussed how hospitals were discharging more and sicker patients to home health care, yet the current home health workforce shortage is preventing VNS Health and other home health agencies from taking the majority of these patients. (In New York State, only about 25% of hospital referrals to home health agencies were admitted in 2022, down from 43% in 2019.) Dan and Jonathan also presented data showing that patients who need home health care but don’t get it are more likely to stay in the hospital longer and be readmitted, and die sooner.
The Day’s Visits: 12 Congressional Offices, 2 Members of Congress
The VNS Health team got its steps in that day, striding back and forth through the Capitol to meet with staff in 12 Congressional offices, including staff members from Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand’s office. They also met directly with Congressmembers Ritchie Torres (Bronx) and Andrew Garbarino (Suffolk/Nassau). VNS Health was joined by representatives from the Home Care Association of New York State. A Bayada representative joined two of the meetings as well, demonstrating the common issues facing nonprofit home health agencies.
Pushing Legislation to Stop the Cuts
Specifically, the VNS Health team urged individual members of Congress to cosponsor the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 (S. 2137/H.R. 5159), which would prevent CMS from implementing these damaging cuts. The team also encouraged the New York Congressional delegation to send a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration, calling on CMS to stop the cuts. Congressman Torres, who last year led a letter signed by every member of the New York House delegation, committed to lead the letter again this year. Congressman Torres’ Bronx district in New York City is being hit especially hard by the home health workforce crisis.
You Can Lobby Congress Too—from the Comfort of Your Phone (or Computer)!
Government Affairs makes it easy for any VNS Health employee to contact their representatives and join in the advocacy fun. Take action now to stop these harmful cuts!
- If you’re a New York State resident, click here.
- If you live outside New York State, click here.