The following letter to Senator Warren (pdf) was sent by Dignity Alliance MA on March 12, 2025. Dear Senator Warren, We want to thank you for your continued efforts in protecting seniors, individuals with disabilities, and the dedicated workforce serving them, whose conditions are directly impacted by the decisions of Dr. Oz. Dignity Alliance of […]
Category: Federal Legislation
Federal legislation endorsed by DAM
February 20, 2025: On behalf of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts participants, I submit these comments in support of the state’s request that CMS waive all estate recovery requirements for all CommonHealth members in MassHealth’s 1115 Demonstration. Currently, many people who need the coverage and care offered under CommonHealth are afraid to apply because they worry about […]
February 20, 2025: The following letter has been sent to the entire MA congressional delegation. Download the Opposition to Safety Net Cuts letter (pdf) to see the entire letter, with signatories (DignityMA included). “As Massachusetts state-wide and community-based organizations that serve low-income residents of the Commonwealth, we wish to thank the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation for […]
What Lies Ahead For Medicaid In Budget Reconciliation?Health AffairsBy Sara Rosenbaum and Alison BarkoffFebruary 11, 2025 President Trump recently stated, “We will love and cherish” Medicaid, promising that budget cutting would be limited to finding waste and abuse. But that sentiment is not likely to prevail as Congress moves forward with massive budget cutting efforts, […]
Consumer Voice’s Statement Regarding Lawsuit Filed by Twenty States to Block Critical Staffing Protections for Nursing Home Residents National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care On October 9, 2024, twenty state attorneys general filed suit in federal court to block the implementation of the most significant increase in protections for nursing home residents in decades, […]
On May 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. The rule will require that nursing homes have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours per day, seven days per week, meet modest minimum staffing requirements, use evidence-based, data-driven methods when determining […]
March 17, 2023. This legislation, sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Senator Edward Markey, has been endorsed by 21 members of DignityMA. The bill has not yet been assigned a number. Stay tuned. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Disabled and Elderly Jurors Non-discrimination Act’’. SEC. 2. EXCLUSION FROM FEDERAL […]
Dignity Alliance endorsed securing age extension requirements for disability benefits. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, one of several federal bills endorsed this term by Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, operates as a long-term savings account for disability beneficiaries without running the risk of losing additional federal benefits, such as Social Security Income and Medicaid. The […]
March 1, 2022 Dignity Alliance released a statement applauding the White House’s proposed nursing home reforms(pdf). The release highlights DignityMA priorities. The Release and White House Proposal are copied in full below. Media Release on White House’s Proposed Nursing Home Reforms March 1, 2022— (Boston, MA)–The COVID-19 pandemic exposed longstanding problems in nursing homes that […]
Federal Bills S 331 and HR 1219 support the Dignity Alliance MA Goal 1 – Home and Community-Based Supports and Services improvement and expansion of opportunities. DAM has endorsed this legislation. This bill increases from 26 to 46 the age threshold for tax-favored ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts. (ABLE accounts are designed to enable […]