by Tim Rowan, Editor Emeritus
Home Health Hospice and the Election
It happens every four years. Once the Olympic torch has been extinguished, Americans turn their attention from athletics to politics, specifically to choosing their next President. While watching the Harris/Trump debate this week, my thoughts turned to the dilemma faced by Home Health, Hospice, and Home Care owners, managers, and field staff.
U.S. voters can make their voting decision after taking into consideration the policy proposals of each candidate and analyzing which policies might better benefit themselves or their businesses. Voters can also vote along party lines, regardless of the candidate or their policies. And then, there is always a percentage who set their personal advantages aside and vote for the candidate they believe to be better for the nation as a whole.
Choice 2024
This may be where our healthcare sector finds itself this year. Is what is best for the country also best for Home Health, Hospice, Palliative Care, and Home Care? Or might the needs of one diverge from the needs of the other? If the latter, which choice is the higher calling?
In this week’s debate, the broad healthcare issue merited little more than a mention and some vague promises. Post-acute care was apparently unimportant or unknown to both candidates. Had a clever writer been tasked with summarizing that moment, it might have read, “Unhealthy Healthcare Debate Fails to Heal.” What did we learn, and where does it leave us?
Balancing Your Responsibilities
Voters have twin responsibilities, each as simple as it is profound. First, to decide whether to base their choice on party alone, on personal or business gain, or for the benefit of all. This includes whether the same vote will accomplish both or whether it is necessary to pick one or the other. The second responsibility is to research the issues and each candidate’s position on each issue. An informed voter is a patriotic voter.
Taylor Knows Best?
“Now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country. I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”
History May Repeat Itself
Home Health and Hospice are deeply dependent on government spending. In the immediate future, MedPAC and CMS can be counted upon to continue to squeeze profit margins as they shift their gaze from services to outcomes. For more than two decades, CMS has enacted rules that shrink the total number of Home Health agencies. This happened across four administrations with different political ideologies. The result is agencies serving the same number of beneficiaries with the same number of nurses while supporting fewer executives.
The meeting of self-interest and national interest may be stronger in the Home Care sector. Caregiver shortage pushes higher hourly pay rates, which pushes higher hourly fees, which decreases the number of clients willing and able to pay. An economy that creates more spendable income or savings means the threshold between “can’t afford it” and “we’ll make it work” lowers.
No, This is not an Endorsement
I guess the bottom line is that I agree with the young pop singer. Like her, I have done my research and made my decision. I urge you to do the same. Read everything you can from the source, if you can. Avoid the temptation to rely on anyone else’s summaries of candidate positions and plans. Think “patriotism” first and “what’s in it for me” second. When in doubt, revisit the words of speechwriter Ted Sorensen, whose brilliant poetry was etched permanently into American history through the voice of John F. Kennedy. “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
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Tim Rowan is a 30-year home care technology consultant who co-founded and served as Editor and principal writer of this publication for 25 years. He continues to occasionally contribute news and analysis articles under The Rowan Report’s new ownership. He also continues to work part-time as a Home Care recruiting and retention consultant. More information: RowanResources.com
Tim@RowanResources.com
©2024 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Healthcare at Home: The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com
