Fuks’ strikes chord in D.C.

By DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2009-01-29T00:00:00

During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., Portlander David Fuks so impressed the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary that she asked him to prepare a one-page summary of his thoughts on increasing services to those living in affordable housing.

Fuks was in D.C. June 1-3 for a two-day summit of United Jewish Communities’ Health and Long-term Care Workgroup called to share the Jewish community’s health care reform priorities with administration officials and lawmakers working to overhaul that system.

“Local (Jewish) federations have a voice in Washington through the UJC’s D.C. office,” said Fuks, who has worked with long-term care group and its predecessor for about seven years. “We have a level of clout to participate in public policy discussions with people in power. What a remarkable presence we can have through being organized through the federation system.”

Fuks said members of the workgroup spoke to numerous legislators and administration officials about the need to include long-term health services in health care reform.

“During our conversation with (HHS Secretary) Kathleen Sebelius, I got to make a comment that I hope she and Shaun Donovan (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) get together to offer increased services in affordable housing,” said Fuks. “HUD is a landlord culture. Services from Health and Human Services could make a tremendous difference in helping seniors age in place.”

“For me, that is an obviosity; for Kathleen, it was like a light went on that she could work to build bridges (between HHS and HUD),” he said.

Fuks said he has enlisted the support of the Association of Jewish Aging Services, for which he is legislative co-chair, to create the one-page document about the benefits of HHS services in HUD housing projects. He said that in addition to sending the document (plus background material) to Sebelius, the AJAS also will send it to the White House at the request of Lauren Aronson, policy director of the White House Office of Health Reform.

While Fuks said he has long thought the idea made sense, his interest in the concept increased with Cedar Sinai Park’s (for whom he serves as executive director) purchase of Rose Schnitzer Tower in downtown Portland. Last December CSP purchased the former Clay Tower Apartments, a 17-story, 235-unit apartment complex serving the low-income elderly and people with disabilities.

He said he not only wants to provide those services to seniors at the tower, he also hopes the government creates a model for aging in place, which will reduce the need for institutional care.

“With the aging baby boomer cohort, there is no way we can build enough traditional institutions,” said Fuks. “We need a new model for aging in place. It’s exciting to see the idea picked up for services in HUD housing.”

Fuks said the group also met with several senators and representatives in a Senate meeting room. He said he was pleased to be able to introduce Oregon Senator Ron Wyden to the group.

“I’m pleased he is such a prominent player in health care discussions,” said Fuks. “Wyden has his own Healthy Americans Act.”

The group also met with Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman emeritus of the House committee on energy and commerce; Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Democratic steering committee; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.); Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Rep. Steve La Tourette (R-Ohio); Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Penn.); Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.); and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

“The opportunity to provide needed and sweeping reforms to our nation’s health care system only occurs once every generation, therefore it is vital that reforms are more than cosmetic in nature,” said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of UJC/Jewish Federations of North America’s Washington office, in a press release about the summit. “With the federation system’s experience, not only as a faith-based organization but also a leading healthcare provider, we strongly believe we have a unique perspective on this issue, and as a result, we set up these meetings to ensure the Jewish communities’ priorities were on the forefront of the administration’s and Congress’ minds as efforts move forward.”

The press release noted that in addition to general healthcare reform, among the many topics the group discussed in detail with Washington decision-makers was the need for increased access to long-term care, continued advances and acceptance of new technology throughout the medical community, as well as additional reforms to Medicaid, Medicare and other social safety-net programs for the nation’s most vulnerable.

The Jewish leaders also expressed their strong support for the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act of 2009, which would create a voluntary disability insurance program for adults with long-term health care needs.

Fuks said the CLASS Act would give workers the opportunity to buy-in to long-term care coverage through a voluntary five-year payroll deduction. While the coverage would not be sufficient to cover nursing home care, it would pay for home care services, he said.

Legislation to reform the nation’s health care system is expected to be introduced and considered by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives prior to this year’s August congressional district work period, reported the press release from UJC. President Obama has indicated that he hopes to sign bipartisan reforms into law by the end of September.

UJC represents 157 Jewish federations and 400 smaller Jewish communities.