- 94% of Nevada seniors are more likely to support lawmakers who preserve Medicare funding -

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nevada Home Care Association and Bring the Vote Home today released new polling data demonstrating a majority of Nevada seniors support funding for Medicare healthcare services for Nevada's 380,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Nevada seniors also overwhelmingly oppose proposed cuts to Medicare funding for treatment services on which millions of senior citizens depend.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed cuts to Medicare funding for home healthcare, cancer treatment, cardiology and vascular care, and dialysis treatment. Unless the President and Congress intervene, these cuts will go into effect on January 1, 2014, putting patient access to care at risk.

Key findings of the poll include:

• 97% of Nevada seniors surveyed believe Medicare coverage of services provided in hospitals, physicians' offices and community-based settings are important.
• 93% of Nevada seniors oppose government proposals to make more cuts to the Medicare program.
• 92% of Nevada seniors do not approve of the government making large and sudden cuts to Medicare services.
• 92% of Nevada seniors support the government and President taking steps to prevent future Medicare cuts.
• 94% of Nevada seniors surveyed are more likely to support lawmakers who work to preserve the Medicare program by stopping fraud and abuse.

While Medicare beneficiaries in all states are vulnerable to the negative impact of drastic funding cuts, seniors and disabled individuals in rural and medically underserved areas will be severely impacted by additional cuts. Many providers of vital services, such as home healthcare agencies, could be rendered inoperable if more cuts are implemented, forcing beneficiaries to seek care miles away from their communities in higher cost settings.

Home health agencies in Nevada, for example, are facing the potential of nearly $700 million in Medicare funding cuts over ten years if a proposed rule by CMS takes effect as written. Home health leaders across the country are urging CMS to more carefully assess the impact of their proposed rule, which would reduce national home health Medicare margins to -9.77 percent by 2017.

"As Nevada's population of senior citizen and disabled residents grows, the Medicare program will become increasingly important to our state's healthcare delivery system," said Jeanette P. Escoto, RN, MA, President of the Nevada Home Care Association. "Without adequate funding for healthcare services, patient access to quality, affordable healthcare could be compromised. This poll confirms that our state's seniors are counting on President Obama and Congress to protect beneficiary access to Medicare services.

Public Policy Polling completed this survey August 19-20, 2013.  The survey polled 519 Nevada registered voters aged 65 and older. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percent.

Bring the Vote Home was launched to help senior citizens, disabled Americans, their family members, and their home healthcare clinicians participate in elections through voter registration and absentee ballot application initiatives. Home healthcare beneficiaries make up a rapidly growing portion of the population, but the homebound status of many of them makes it difficult for them to participate in the electoral process. Bring the Vote Home is dedicated to helping all members of the home healthcare community have the opportunity to participate fully in our nation's democratic process. Learn more at http://www.bringthevotehome.org.

SOURCE Bring the Vote Home