Medicare Education, Enrollment, and Advocacy – Support CCHCC

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June 14, 2018

CCHCC is launching our Medicare Education, Enrollment, and Advocacy Project, and we hope you will help support this effort.

Support CCHCC.

Medicare is complicated. There are many parts, and there are many options for additional coverage. And there are more expenses that go with Medicare than most people realize.

Many people who are turning 65 and signing up for Medicare Parts A and B are surprised to learn that Part A has a hospital deductible, and Part B has a monthly premium. For too many individuals, facing the monthly Premium of Part B at the very same time that they are going on to the fixed income of their Social Security retirement benefits, the cost of Part B is just too much and some elect to forego Part B coverage. And without Part B coverage, they cannot get Part D prescription drug coverage.

Medicare is complicated, but CCHCC’s knowledgeable and experienced Community Health Workers are here to help our community members navigate the Medicare system!

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Do you have a Health Choice Illinois (Medicaid Managed Care) plan?

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June 12, 2018

If you got enrolled into a Health Choice Illinois plan (a Medicaid Managed Care plan) on April 1, 2018, you need to make sure you that you are on the right plan for you!

Too many community members have been “auto assigned” to plans that do not include their health care providers, or do not cover the prescription medications they need, and the time to change plans is running out (June 30, 2018 is the last chance to change!).

Make sure the plan you are on is right for you!
To make sure that your plan is right for you, check with your health care providers to make sure they are “in-network” for that plan (see further below to learn about what plans each major health care provider is accepting).

More information.

A brief message about last night’s County Board Meeting and the vote to sell CCNH to Rothner

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May 25, 2018

Last night, the Champaign County Board voted 15 to 6 to sell the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH) to the Rothner-owned Extended Care Clinical, LLC and Altitude Health, Inc. companies who put in a joint bid to purchase the CCNH.

There is more work to be done, and the work to protect quality of care and jobs at CCNH will be ongoing. But we will address that later, in the days to come. For now, we just want to express our gratitude to you for your advocacy efforts, and share information about last night’s County Board Meeting.

On behalf of CCHCC, I want to thank all of you for your advocacy work – I thank you for your vigilance, your phone calls and emails to your elected representatives on the County Board, your statements at County Board meetings, and your dedication to protect the CCNH as a community asset that belongs to all of us.

There were about 130 people in attendance at the meeting, and about 20 people spoke during public participation, for and against the sale of CCNH.

Ultimately, it was a heartbreaking outcome.

Read more.

Lots of reasons to oppose sale of CCNH to this buyer. Take Action TODAY!

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The sale of the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH) is imminent. The Champaign County Board will be meeting TONIGHT – Thursday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. – and will be voting on the sale of the CCNH. We need supporters of CCNH to take action TODAY to oppose the sale of CCNH at this point in time, to this bidder.

Altitude Health and Extended Care Clinical, LLC, together, are the sole bidder for purchasing the county’s nursing home. These companies are owned by members of the Rothner family, who have extensive ownership in nursing homes in multiple states.

Here is some press coverage from yesterday’s press conference:
http://foxillinois.com/news/local/local-group-raises-concerns-about-champaign-county-nursing-homes-potential-buyer

We have new reports on quality of care, and also a new report from an independent national expert! Also, we have updates on the property tax question. Please scroll through this message to find what you are looking for.

We urge you to:
* Review the research that CCHCC has compiled on these companies, which are owned by members of the Rothner family, and on nursing homes owned by the Rothners. You can see the research here:

  1. NEW: IDPH Nursing Home Violations of Rothner-owned homes 2008-2018:https://www.healthcareconsumers.org/idph-quarterly-reports-on-safety-violations-for-extended-care-clinical-llc-facilities/
  2. News and other reports of Rothner-owned homes in multiple states, including Rothner homes that were shut down, or denied Medicare and Medicaid payments for quality of care violations:https://www.healthcareconsumers.org/research-on-bidder-for-champaign-county-nursing-home/

* Review the report by independent national expert in healthcare valuation, James Unland (see below); and,

* Contact your County Board members by phone or e-mail and let them know you oppose the sale of the CCNH to this buyer.

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