Rhode Island: Governor

Candidates

Don Carcieri, Republican
Myrth York, Democrat

Issues: Long Term Care | Prescription Drugs | Department of Elderly Affairs |

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Question

How would you propose to balance the growing demand for more home and community based care with the need to maintain and improve the quality of care in nursing homes?

AARP Response

Per-capita, Rhode Island has one of the largest aging populations in the country. To meet the needs of this growing population, AARP believes that a comprehensive, affordable long-term care system needs to be available. Such system would include:

• A range of long-term care options, including in-home, community based, assisted living, and nursing home services, allowing individuals a choice of the most appropriate placement;
  
  
• An expansion of state programs allowing individuals to live as independently as possible;
  
  
• Adequate reimbursement to providers of long-term care, and
  
  
• A review of laws and regulations of assisted living facilities to ensure adequate safety, quality of care and consumer protection.
  
  

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports full spectrum of long-term care options.
Proposes an expansion in services that allow individuals to live independently.
Supports measures to guarantee quality of care in nursing homes.

Candidate Response: Don Carcieri

Rhode Island has one of the largest senior populations of any state in the nation. And as the baby boomers age, the demands on the health care system in this state are going to increase. We need to work hard to help keep people in their homes as long as possible. Providing in home or community care takes pressure off of our nursing homes and managed care facilities, but more importantly, it provides significantly more comfort and serenity as people age. Our major problem is that property taxes keep rising in this state, forcing people on fixed incomes to make tough choices between maintaining their home, getting the care they need, and paying their taxes. We need to make every effort to fix that.

Candidate Response: Myrth York

I believe that seniors should not have to leave their homes and communities in order to receive adequate medical care as they age. As Governor, I would propose making long-term care insurance premiums tax deductible to provide an incentive to help seniors and families plan ahead. I have also issued a plan to hire 1,000 new nurses and related clinicians in Rhode Island through a sustained recruitment and retention program. By increasing the number of nurses and related clinicians, we can improve access to home health care services and reduce risks associated with under-staffing at health care facilities. In addition, we must address nursing home and long-term care facility workforce issues by reducing mandatory overtime and inadequate staffing levels in order to ensure high-quality care.

Question

What state legislation would you propose to provide assistance for people who need help paying for prescription drugs? What specific cost-saving strategies would you include?

AARP Response

Prescription drugs are an essential part of good medical treatment. Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs. Americans over 65 – the group that relies the most on prescription drugs - are the least likely to have coverage to help with the cost. Many of our older residents must make choices between eating properly, paying for increased fuel costs, or purchasing a life-sustaining drug. AARP is urging Congress to add prescription drugs to Medicare. AARP believes that states should:

• Implement programs that help pay prescription drug costs for poor and near-poor persons who do not have other coverage.
  
  
• Develop programs to assist those who use an extraordinary amount of their income to pay for prescriptions.
  
  
• Develop policies to control the growth in spending on prescriptions while ensuring that people get the drugs they need.
  
  

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports state prescription drug program for low- and moderate-income residents.
Proposes cost-reduction measures for prescription drugs.

Candidate Response: Don Carcieri

The rising cost of health care is a huge problem in this state. The ever-growing demand for expensive medication is forcing seniors to spend more and more of their monthly income on medication. We need to look to follow the lead of Maine and other states, who have pooled their purchasing power, through legislation, to cut better deals with the pharmaceutical companies. We cannot force them to give us better deals, but we can use the power of capitalism to drive down prices and reduce the burden on our citizens. Also, we need to do everything possible to encourage our Congressional delegation to get a national program in place.

Candidate Response: Myrth York

I am a strong supporter of RIPAE and will work to protect and expand it. As Governor, I would negotiate tough deals with the pharmaceutical industry to reduce prices by insisting that companies provide Rhode Island seniors with the same discounts that they provide to government agencies and federal programs. I would also encourage Rhode Island to join other New England states in a multi-state purchasing pool. We would gain more clout as part of a larger purchasing group and increase our negotiating power with the major pharmaceutical companies. The state will benefit from lower prescription prices that come as a result of buying as a larger entity. These savings can then be passed on to Rhode Islanders to reduce their prescription drug costs.

Question

As a Governor, will you support keeping the Department of Elderly Affairs as a stand-alone, distinct entity with a director at a Cabinet-level position?

AARP Response

The Department of Elderly Affairs’ mission is to provide the best possible network of services to support the independence, choice, dignity and safety of all older Rhode Islanders.

The 2000 Census indicates that Rhode Island is at the leading edge of this growth for persons 65 and older. It has more than 190,000 persons 60 and older and more than 150,000 over the age of 65. The fastest growing segment is those persons age 85 and older.

The implications of this vast increase in the elderly population are that it will produce larger numbers of people needing community-based services, public support, especially in health, transportation, nutrition and housing. This indicates that Rhode Island will face many challenges in addressing the increased needs of its diverse aging population.

AARP believes that the Department of Elderly Affairs should remain a stand-alone, distinct entity with a director at a Cabinet-level position.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports keeping the DEA.
Proposes measures to strengthen or expand the Department.

Candidate Response: Don Carcieri

I do support the continued autonomy of the Department of Elderly Affairs. However, we need to encourage more coordination, cooperation and collaboration with the other branches of the state. Our state government is plagued by duplication and redundancy. The DEA has done a commendable job, but we are forcing our citizens to jump through hoops to get services. For one thing they must go to DEA for another to the Department of Health and for a third to the Department of Human Services.

Starting with my Big Audit, I will look at the structure of our government. I will attempt to reduce the over-lap, allowing the DEA to do its job even better and people to get the services they need without the runaround.

Candidate Response: Myrth York

As Governor, I would keep the Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) as its own department. I know what a critical role DEA plays in the lives of seniors of this state. Merging DEA with another department would reduce its effectiveness and ability to serve our seniors. We also need to take steps to strengthen the department and make its services more accessible to seniors and their families.