Senior Living Executive - September/October 2011

Interview: Congressional outlook

bipartisan bill will help provide consumers with more information about individual nursing homes and their track record of care and encourages homes to improve on their own. It will also give the government better tools for enforcing high-quality standards. AARP has called this effort “one of the most significant nursing home reform initiatives” in two decades.

SL Exec: Sen. Corker, is there a particular piece of legislation that ought to be of importance to the Special Committee on Aging?

corker: My number-one goal is to put a fiscal straitjacket on Congress so we can get our country back on sound fiscal footing. To that end, I’ve introduced a bipartisan bill called the CAP Act to set an across-the-board, binding cap on all federal spending, including entitlements. The CAP Act would result in $7.6 trillion less spending over a 10-year period and change the way Washington does business.

Functionally, the bill would set an annual cap on spending as a percentage of GDP that would decline gradually over 10 years, bringing spending down from 24. 7 percent of GDP today to the 40-year average of 20. 6 percent. Congress could only override the cap through a supermajority vote of both houses of Congress.

SL Exec: Sen. Kohl, do you see any overlap with issues discussed in the Special Committee on Aging and the other committees you sit on, such as Judiciary?

Kohl: The Special Committee on Aging constantly raises issues that are in other committees’ jurisdiction, including the Judiciary Committee. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generic Drugs Act is a good example of an issue that overlaps both committees I serve on. The bill combats the anti-consumer practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using pay-off agreements to keep cheaper generic equivalents off the market. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would save the federal government $2.6 billion over 10 years by reducing drug costs. This is not only good for the government but also good for seniors, who would see their own prescription drug costs reduced.

In the Aging Committee, we have also introduced legislation that would combat elder abuse. We brought attention to the unintended consequences of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s heightened scrutiny of prescribing practices in long-term-care settings and will soon be introducing legisla-

“I see a greater
opportunity now than I
have at any point in my
four years in the Senate.”
—Sen. Bob corker (R-tN)

“Now more than ever,
we need to strengthen
our nation’s pension
and 401(k) systems
so that Americans can
have a financially secure
retirement.”
—Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)

tion that will help to remedy the problem. SL Exec: Sen. Corker, do you see any overlap with issues discussed in the Special Committee on Aging and the other committees you sit on, such as Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs?

corker: Absolutely. People tend to place seniors in an isolated category. The fact is the work of other committees has just as much of an impact on seniors as it does on the rest of the country.

What the other panels lack is the focus to better understand how and why current and future seniors might be particularly affected by certain policies and regulations. It’s the Aging Committee’s role then to help better inform the Senate, recognizing that the committees of jurisdiction are ultimately responsible for reporting out legislation.

SL Exec: Sen. Kohl, how do you think we are doing as a country in meeting the needs of our senior citizens?

Kohl: We held a hearing earlier this year that took a hard look at an often overlooked problem in our country: the mistreatment and exploitation of older Americans. These crimes are being committed by people because their victims are often fragile and their chance of getting caught is slim. Legendary actor and entertainer Mickey Rooney was there to tell his personal story of abuse. Right now, we don’t dedicate the resources or coordination to fight this growing problem. We can and should do better.

SL Exec: Sen. Corker, do you think Congress is ready to make some tough decisions on entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security?

corker: I hope so. I see a greater opportunity now than I have at any point in my four years in the Senate. The huge unfunded liabilities are staring us in the face, but up to now the political courage has not been there to address these challenges that threaten not only the existence of these programs but the future prosperity of our country.

On our current path, spending on Medicare and Social Security and interest on our debt will eventually leave no room in the budget for anything else. That’s why the CAP Act I’ve introduced puts all spending on budget, forcing us to reform these programs so they’re around for the next generation while also protecting current beneficiaries and those near retirement.

SL Exec: Sen. Corker, we all talk about the 74 million baby boomers that will start turning 65 this year. Do you think they are planning for their future long-term care needs?

corker: My father suffered from Alzheimer’s disease before he passed away last year. When the time came, my mother and I were fortunate to be able to find a place for him where he received excellent care. But for those who are not as fortunate, I’m incredibly sympathetic to cost issues that make the expense of long-term care devastating for spouses and families. We need to educate Americans about planning for long-term care as part of responsible retirement savings. ❏