AARP Florida 2006 Legislative Session Outcomes
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-06-21 17:28:56.396150-04:00
The Florida 2006 legislative session has ended. Find out some of the outcomes of issues affecting you in Florida.
Nursing Home Staffing
Studies have shown that nursing home residents should receive at least 2.9 hours of care a day to complete daily tasks (such as eating and bathing). AARP Florida wanted the budget to fully fund the 2.9 hours so residents would not jeopardize their well-being by receiving less care.
The budget passed. The new mandatory weekly average of care is now 2.9 hours of care everyday for each resident, with a minimum of 2.7 hours of care per day.
This is a victory AARP Florida will defend in future sessions.
Medicaid Long-Term Care Waiver
It is understandable that seniors want to control their long-term care. An AARP study found that seniors do not want to be forced to join HMOs; they would rather choose how and where they receive their care.
AARP Florida spoke up for seniors and objected to the launching of a state program that would force Medicaid participants into HMOs. We argued the program should not begin without the approval of the Legislature.
Full Legislative approval is still required and the program has not been implemented.
Long-Term Care Insurance
AARP supported creating the Florida Long-Term Care Partnership Program because it would help seniors plan and pay for their long-term care needs. We also supported the program because it would give seniors incentives to purchase long-term care insurance.
The program was created and offers incentives and consumer protection. Now AARP Florida will inform consumers about the benefits of the Florida Long-Term Care Partnership Program.
Guardianship
AARP Florida is interested in guardianship because professional guardians protect vulnerable citizens from abuse, neglect and exploitation. We supported a bill that would have reduced the risk to wards and ensure individuals are better served by the guardianship process.
The final version of the bill increased the mandatory amount of guardian training for guardians and required professional guardians personally visit their wards quarterly.
Aging Services Network
Proposed legislation would have created two systems to provide services to seniors. AARP recognizes the need for efficiency and opposed the legislation because it would have caused additional confusion to seniors and extra costs to the state.
The bill did not pass. AARP will continue to advocate for a system that is user friendly for seniors and their families.
Utilities—Telephone
Legislation passed in 2003 that allowed telephone companies to increase their rates by as much as 20% per year.
AARP Florida wanted to protect seniors on fixed incomes from paying additional utility costs, so we supported a repeal of the legislation and pushed for an increase in quality of service requirements.
We were successful.
Identity Theft
A growing number of consumers are becoming victims of identity theft. AARP Florida supported the credit freeze bill, which allows Floridians to sign up with agencies and freeze their credit accounts.
The bill passed. Also, victims of identity theft and seniors 65+ do not have to pay the $10 fee.
We will inform Floridians about this security option, which will begin on July 1, 2006.
Financial Literacy Council
AARP Florida believes the public should be educated on how to make smart financial choices. We supported the establishing of a statewide council with the goal of finding and improving existing financial education programs.
The state council was created and now serves as a resource for consumers and small businesses. AARP Florida will work with council if the opportunity arises.
Emergency Management
AARP Florida supported strengthening Florida's emergency management system so victims can receive the care they need. We recommended enhanced emergency planning, management and services before, during and after a storm.
In the end, an increase in funds were allotted for special needs shelters, public hurricane shelters, supplies, emergency centers and public awareness campaigns.
Affordable Housing
Housing is becoming less affordable for all Floridians, especially those on fixed incomes. AARP supported a repeal of the 2007 funding cap and wanted to release the existing trust funds for affordable housing.
Some of the trust fund was released and the cap is still in place.
Aging Resources Centers
These centers provide a single place for seniors to get information about services. They are important because the current long-term care system is fragmented and getting information and access to services can be difficult. There was a proposal to remove funds for these centers from the budget.
AARP worked with other aging advocates and successfully got the funds reinstated in the budget.
Medicaid Denture, Hearing Aid, Eyeglass Benefit
AARP Florida wanted to put back a provision that allows the state Medicaid program to pay for dentures, hearing aids and eyeglasses for Medicaid participants. This is because many seniors who rely on Medicaid to help pay for care cannot afford these devices and so they go without.
The provision was reinstated in the health care budget.
Summary
As you can see, AARP Florida was very successful during the 2006 Legislation Session. We will continue to monitor these issues next year and will closely examine the new legislation that will impact our members.
Related Articles
- Get Involved, Stay Informed
- Florida Legislative Session Summary 2006 PDF
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