Governor Phil Bredesen began a series of ceremonial signings today for a bill that will give seniors and the disabled more options for care other than a nursing home. This spring the Legislature passed and the Governor officially signed the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act. It will make the nearly 1-point-2 billion dollars of TennCare money now spent on nursing homes available for alternatives such as home-based care.
Bredesen says the shift will succeed in Tennessee where it has failed in other states because the nursing home industry was willing to work with legislators on the bill rather than oppose it. He says it will fundamentally restructure the way the state spends money on long-term care and improve the day-to-day lives of the elderly and disabled.
“Families will be able to make choices they haven’t had before, they’ll have options, and a much greater number of Tennesseans in need of care will be able to stay in their homes.”
State Senator Diane Black helped sponsor the bill. She hopes to eventually see the amount spent on nursing homes at a quarter of what it is now, but says it will likely take some time for the transition.
“I don’t think right now you could absolutely say how much is going to be used in any one particular area because at this point in time what we’ve done is use mostly those dollars on nursing homes, and now we’ll have to see how many of those residents are in that more restrictive environment that actually live in their home.”
The Governor continues ceremonial bill signings Wednesday in Nashville, Memphis and Jackson.
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