The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its companion bill the Health Care and Education Act of 2010 may be the most significant — and also the most controversial and complex — social legislation this country has passed in decades.
While the legislation includes many general provisions that will benefit direct-care workers, it also includes provisions specifically addressing community-based long-term care services and support and the direct-care workforce, including:
- Demonstration grants to develop and pilot competency-based training curricula for personal and home care aides.
- Establishment of a Personal Care Attendant Advisory Panel at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the creation of the new voluntary long-term care insurance program called the CLASS Act.
- Additional demonstration provisions to extend the Money Follows the Person rebalancing demonstration; independence at home program; and community-based collaborative care networks and transition programs.
- Grants for new and incumbent workers to provide career ladders and to states for comprehensive health care workforce development strategies.
| PHI-Authored Resources | |
|---|---|
| Description | Link |
| A complete overview of relevant provisions. | PHI’s summary of direct-care workforce and long-term care provisions (pdf) |
| Detailed information about the creation of national advisory panels as well as grant opportunities for states and individual employers. | Health Reform Facts 1: Workforce Development and Training Opportunities for Direct-Care Workers (pdf) |
| Summary of a provision giving high-risk individuals the ability to access health coverage. | Health Reform Facts 2: Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (pdf) |
| An overview of the options available to small businesses to help them pay for employee insurance. | Health Reform Facts 3: Small Business Benefits Available to Eldercare/Disability Services Employers (pdf) |
| A summary of health reform provisions that will be phased in before reform takes full effect in 2014. | Health Reform Facts 4: Early Coverage Options for Direct-Care Workers and Their Families (pdf) |
| Additional Resources | |
|---|---|
| Resource | Source |
| Text of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | US Government Printing Office |
| Text of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 | US Government Printing Office |
| Summary of Medicaid, CHIP, and Low-Income Provisions in Health Care Reform (pdf) | Georgetown University Center for Children and Families |
| Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports: Key Changes in the Health Reform Law | Kaiser Family Foundation |
| Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals (pdf) | Kaiser Family Foundation |
| Health Reform Package Represents Historic Chance to Expand Coverage, Improve Insurance Markets, Slow Cost Growth, and Reduce Deficits (pdf) | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities |
| Quick Wins: Who Will be Helped Right Away by the New Health Care Reform Law? (pdf) | Community Catalyst |
| Realizing Health Reform’s Potential: Women and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (pdf) | Commonwealth Fund |
