Leg

Legislation and Issues That Affect Seniors

Health Reform

Health reform is one of the most important issues facing America. In the U.S. Congress legislation has passed in the House of Representatives (the Affordable Health Care for America Act) and is being debated in the Senate (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

For an explanation of some of the terminology, go to a recent AoA HICAPsule.

For an objective, side-by-side comparison of the two bills in Congress, go to the link to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Rights of Persons in Long-term Care Facilities

As people are living longer, more of us will need long-term care. In California a number of bills have been proposed safeguarding the rights of persons in long-term care. One of them that became law is AB 215. It requires nursing homes to post the ratings performed by CMS. A comparison of these ratings for many nursing homes is available by going to “Compare Nursing Homes” on the Medicare website, www.medicare.gov. Another new law is SB 781 which strengthens the rights of persons being evicted from Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.

For brief summaries of bills that are supported by California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, go the Legislative Update section of the CANHR website.

California Senior Legislature (CSL)

CSL is a volunteer body whose primary mission is to gather ideas for State and Federal legislation and craft them into formal proposals, present them to members of the Legislature and the Congress, and advocate for laws implementing the ideas. For over 25 years 40 Senior Senators and 80 Senior Assemblymembers representing local Planning and Services Areas throughout California have held an annual legislative session. Following the session, the top ten state proposals and top four federal are taken to state legislators or members of Congress who are asked to author and sponsor appropriate bills. Over the years many CSL proposals have become laws or resolutions. One example is SJR 4, the Alzheimer's Silver Alert Program.

For a list of the top State and Federal Legislative Proposals from the 2009 CSL legislative session at which Monterey County was represented by Senior Senator Pat Jones and Senior Assemblymember Bob Petty, go to the CSL website.