Consumer, Health Measures Win Big as State Lawmakers Outdo Stymied Feds
By: Source: AARP Bulletin Today Date Posted: 2003-08-27 11:15:46
State lawmakers last year beat Congress to the punch in improving access to health care and protecting midlife and older consumers.
States' top achievements in 2001 came in long-term health services, prescription drug assistance and anti-fraud efforts.
"In contrast to the paralysis at the federal level last year, we made great strides in the states," says Cheryl Matheis, AARP's director of state affairs. AARP representatives and volunteers contributed to many state legislative victories through lobbying efforts and awareness campaigns.
Here's a breakdown of key actions during states' 2001 sessions:
Drug assistance. New programs designed to make prescription drugs more available and affordable for older, low-income or disabled Americans were created or expanded in Arizona, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
What to Expect in 2002Making prescription drugs more affordable is likely to top state agendas this year. "And given tight state budgets, consumer protection bills that don't require state funding will be popular," says Cheryl Matheis, AARP's director of state affairs.
That means more action on telemarketing, age discrimination and employment laws and predatory lending.
Connecticut and New Jersey added new Rx drug benefits, and West Virginia passed a measure allowing the state to negotiate Rx drug discounts.
Long-term care. Home- and community-based health services are largely paid for by Medicaid and other state programs, not Medicare. At least six states—Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, Tennessee and Wyoming—passed new funding for such services.
Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin were able to maintain existing funding despite budget cuts.
Assisted living and nursing homes. At least 25 states worked on policies to establish or strengthen standards for assisted living facilities. Last year AARP led successful campaigns to improve care in the District of Columbia, Illinois and Kentucky.
Some states focused on quality of care in nursing homes. AARP helped draft proposals for better care that won approval in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Several legislatures considered proposals on long-term care insurance, which is intended to cover the costs of nursing home care and assisted living. South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia enacted measures to improve or establish standards for information disclosure and marketing practices for long-term care policies.
Predatory lending. States considered a variety of measures targeting unscrupulous lenders offering credit to consumers who may not qualify for more affordable equity loans.
In California a new law prohibits financing single-premium credit insurance policies for home loans that are intended to continue mortgage payments in the event of a borrower's death. But the policies typically have term limits much shorter than the life of the home loan and must be paid in full up front—and can run as high as 15 to 20 percent of the value of the loan. The new measure also limits balloon payments and restricts prepayment penalties. Illinois adopted a similar policy.
The District of Columbia passed a measure with strong foreclosure provisions to protect borrowers who default on predatory loans.
Do-not-call. More states are protecting privacy by establishing lists of consumers who don't want to be called. To conduct business in states with no-call laws, telemarketers must first purchase the list of consumer names or face penalties. Last year California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Texas and Wisconsin passed no-call measures.
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