The future of medical care in the United States is uncertain as Congress reviews the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) have combined their voices to present concerns to the US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Thomas E. Price.
The message includes the importance of patient-centered health insurance coverage, affordable costs, and high-quality care. It enables effective treatment in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech-language pathology (SLP).
Included as essential health benefits under ACA, there is a danger that repeal and replacement may do away with the advancements that have been made over the last several years regarding coordinated rehabilitative care.
Seldom does one form of treatment result in full or best recovery.
Value-based reimbursement encourages communication and a united effort towards the same goal among healthcare providers and patients. The result is the best care at a better value in areas including strong habilitation and rehabilitation components.
The inclusion of these essential health benefits in the Affordable Care Act defined the value of continuous, focused care and validates why they should be included in the future.
APTA and the other two groups signing the letter stressed their thoughts represented a significant “majority of therapy providers.” The missive reiterated the groups’ recommendation to include coverage to preserve current access.
Habilitation permits occupational, physical, and speech-language therapists to help patients keep, improve, or reach skills needed for daily living. A number of citizens have benefitted from a well-developed therapy plan because of essential health benefits coverage under the ACA. The provision is excluded from the body of the AHCA.
Talking about the March 7, 2017 letter, APTA’s vice president of government affairs, Justin Elliott, noted that the Republican’s health care plan could possibly be involved in a lengthy process of discussion and review. The overall desire to advocate reform for parts of the bill that were not in the best interests of APTA patients prompted an early notice of disagreement and the desire for review and change. The Association’s commitment to “continued, affordable access to habilitation and rehabilitation services” was offered as a guideline.
An ambitiously early vote on the GOP plan failed to materialize on March 23 or 24, 2017. The general consensus is that Obamacare will continue at this time.
It gives time for interested parties like AOTA, APTA, and ASHA to review and discuss concerns of mutual interest. Ideas and suggestions will be referred to government officials and representatives to consider and debate before preparing a revised proposal regarding healthcare reform.
