Earlier this week, AHCA/NCAL hosted its annual Congressional Briefing in Washington, DC. More than 500 long-term and post-acute care professionals attended Congressional Briefing and held meetings on Capitol Hill with US Senators and members of Congress. Programming included remarks from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8), Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5), and political analyst, commentator, and best-selling author Chris Stirewalt.

Attending from Wisconsin were:

• Steve Kuranz, Oak Ridge Care Center
• David Mills, North Shore Healthcare
• Henry Kuranz, Hope Health & Rehab
• Randi Carr, Ignite Medical Resorts
• Barry Carr, Ignite Medical Resorts
• Drew Elisco, Alden Management
• Alan Gaffner, Alden Management
• Laura Pett, Medline
• Ryan McNamara, Direct Supply
• Perry Kreiss, Direct Supply
• Rick Abrams, WHCA/WiCAL
• Jim Stoa, WHCA/WiCAL

WHCA/WiCAL members and business partners meet with Congressman Mark Pocan

Along with attending Congressional Briefing programming, WHCA/WiCAL had five meetings with Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation, including with the offices of Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06), Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-06). Earlier in May, WHCA/WiCAL traveled to DC and held meetings with other members of Wisconsin’s delegation, including Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI-01), Congressman Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07), Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08), and Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05).

WHCA/WiCAL members discussed with Wisconsin lawmakers their local experiences and discussed several important topics, including:

• The Biden Administration’s impending federal staffing mandate for nursing homes, despite a historic labor crisis providers face as they struggle to recruit and retain caregivers;
• More supportive solutions to addressing workforce shortages, such as The Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act (H.R. 468) and The Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 3227/S. 1749);
• Transitioning out of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and resuming typical protocols for care logistics (data reporting, funding, etc.);
• The need for regulatory relief as providers continue to be subject to an impractical and demoralizing survey environment; and
• Medicaid unwinding and the critical safety net that Medicaid provides for vulnerable seniors and individuals with disabilities who need long term care as well as the need to fully fund the program.

Members and business partners pictured with Congresswoman Gwen Moore

“It is crucial that we share our story with members of Congress, so it is amazing to see so many of our members here in D.C. this week to do exactly that,” said AHCA/NCAL President & CEO Mark Parkinson. “It is our job to help them understand the challenges we face, such as the ongoing workforce crisis, and the solutions we need to protect seniors’ access to care. By working together, we can help improve the lives of our residents and staff.”