2007 Leadership Summit
April 2007 Archives
Lt. Governor André Bauer’s Leadership Summit on April 27 in Myrtle Beach at the Grand Strand Senior Center.
The 2007 “Call to Action” Leadership Summit will provide an opportunity for stakeholder organizations involved in providing senior services in South Carolina to hear directly from federal and state policymakers about recent changes to the Older Americans Act and other federal statutes.
Lieutenant Governor André Bauer has invited U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell to our state specifically to talk about “Choices for Independence," a roadmap designed by the U.S. Administration on Aging to “rebalance” our system of financing long term care in the United States to meet the challenge of the aging baby boomers.
According to Secretary Carbonell’s February 5, 2007 statement to Congress about the FY 2008 budget request for the Administration on Aging ($1.38 billion), significant changes are needed in the way that long term care is provided to older adults in the United States. These changes are being driven by the impending retirement of 78 million members of the “baby boom” generation. If current trends hold steady, thousands of these “boomers” will be relocating to South Carolina from other parts of the country in the coming decades.
“The AoA FY 2008 budget request provides continued support for activities that help give people choices, control and independence as they grow older, and will enhance our ability to address the future of long-term care in this country,” said Carbonell in her statement to Congress. “The FY 2008 request includes a $28 million request for a ‘Choices for Independence’ demonstration designed to advance significant changes in health and long-term care systems at the federal, state and community level. These changes will improve the quality of life for millions of adults as they age, support the network’s efforts to help high-risk individuals who are not Medicaid eligible to remain at home through the use of low-cost alternatives, and assist State efforts to rebalance their systems of care.”
As one of the greatest growth states in terms of in-migration of mature adults, South Carolina has been aggressive in obtaining competitive Choices for Independence grants from the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. These new programs fund evidence-based wellness and prevention activities, development of Aging and Disability Resource Centers in five of the 10 AAA regions of our state, and money follows the person grants. Additionally, the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging is developing unique technology that will lead to better evaluations of programs for seniors. This year’s $2.9 million in new state appropriations has actually increased service funding opportunity at the local level by almost 20%.
Pictures from the 2007 Leadership Summit
Background materials (Adobe PDF files):
Long Term Services and Supports Trends in the United States and South Carolina Presented by Lisa Alecxih, Vice-President, the Lewin Group
Deficit Reduction Act Initiatives and Real Choice Systems Change Presented by Suzanne Bostick, Director of the CMS Division of Community and Institutional Services
Choices for Independence - Strategies for Modernizing Long-Term Care Presented by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, John Wren
2007 "Call to Action" State Leadership Summit Agenda
Transcripts and video of U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell and U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt's comments at the December 5, 2006 National Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. are available:
Carbonell Transcript
Leavitt Transcript
Link to video of Carbonell, Leavitt and CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk's comments at the December 05, 2006 National Leadership Summit (scroll down to "Federal Policy Directions & The Aging Services Network") on the kaisernetwork.org Choices for Independence site.
2006 Older Americans Act Reauthorization Power Point (saved as a PDF)
This powerpoint presentation was prepared by the Administration on Aging to summarize recent changes to the Older Americans Act that will affect programs at the state and local level.
Choices for Independence White Paper
Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act includes a proposal to pilot Choices for Independence, a $28 million demonstration project to promote consumer-directed and community-based long term care options. Choices aims to strengthen the nation’s capacity to promote the dignity and independence of older people and meet the challenges associated with the aging of the baby boom generation. It also aims to supplement the President’s New Freedom Initiative and the Administration’s policy for modernizing Medicare and Medicaid by strengthening the Act’s role in promoting consumer choice, control, and independence in long-term care.
"Own Your Future" Public Awareness Campaign Overview
The “Own Your Future” Long-Term Care Awareness Campaign is a national initiative to increase consumer awareness about planning for long-term care. Through a collaboration between the federal government and individual states, persons who are beginning the process of preparing for their retirement years are encouraged to include long-term care planning within their overall retirement goals.
Key Provisions of House Resolution 6197 Related to Choices for Independence
Key Provisions of House Resolution 5295 Related to Choices for Independence
Fact Sheet - President Bush Signs the Deficit Reduction Act
WhiteHouse Press release from February 8, 2006.
Deficit Reduction Act Checklist for State Legislators
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) provides States with much of the flexibility they have been seeking over the years to make significant reforms to their Medicaid Programs. States may use these new opportunities in combination with other options under the Medicaid Program, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and other programs as a strategy to align the Medicaid Program with today's health care environment. States can expand access to affordable mainstream coverage, promote personal responsibility for health and accessing health care, and improve quality and coordination of care. The DRA provides flexibilities that States can use to pursue innovative ideas in health care—like consumer-directed healthcare and rebalancing long-term care.
What is an ADRC?
Overview of South Carolina's ADRC project from the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging.
ADRC Fact Sheet
ADRC overview from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
SC Access
Overview of SC Access from the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging.