Colorado Medical Society

Introduced by: Aurora-Adams County Medical Society

Subject: Initiating Efforts to Control Medicaid Spending for Alzheimer's Patients

Referred to: Reference Committee on Health Affairs

WHEREAS, at the current rate of growth of Colorado Medicaid Program spending, by the year 2030, 100% of the state budget will be for Medicaid only. Nationally, Medicaid spending exceeds Medicare spending, and

WHEREAS, approximately 60% of all nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid and long term nursing home care is the major cost component of Medicaid spending, and

WHEREAS, approximately 80-90% of all Medicaid nursing home patients have Alzheimer’s disease, and

WHEREAS, the limited amount of money appropriated to Medicaid should not be devoted to end of life care in the acute setting for severe cognitively impaired Alzheimer’s patients, but to patients with potentially curable and treatable illnesses and for preventive health care programs, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Colorado Medical Society seek legislation to overhaul the Colorado Medicaid program to accomplish the following: Identify severe Alzheimer patients on Medicaid both living in and out of nursing homes; to treat these patients with dignity, to keep them comfortable and free of pain; to provide no acute medical intervention- for example hospitalization, CPR, surgery, dialysis, specialized imaging; to provide medications for pain, comfort, sedation as would be done for Hospice patients.