Q&A with Garry Pezzano

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 

What aspects of caring for Pennsylvania's aging population are you most concerned about?

Most critical to caring for older adults is ensuring access to care, an adequate workforce, and the integration of health and support services. It is imperative that older adults have access to care at all points along the continuum, and the workforce has to be available to deliver that care and support—a growing challenge given shifting demographics.

I am also very concerned about affordable housing. Waitlists for senior affordable housing are long and housing stock is low – investment of additional resources is needed so that providers can increase supply to meet the growing demand as our state’s population ages.

How has LeadingAge PA adapted to the current funding uncertainty?

LeadingAge PA members have grappled with funding uncertainty for years, which has led to dozens of aging services providers closing their doors. Even more providers have been forced to scale back services and limit access to care – actions that run contrary to their missions of caring for older adults in Pennsylvania.

This is why we are advocating that state lawmakers fix the broken funding system to ensure predictability and sustainability for aging services providers who care for Medicaid beneficiaries. Specifically, we are calling on our elected officials to establish a Budget Adjustment Factor (BAF) floor of 0.90 for nursing homes and set LIFE reimbursement rates at a minimum of 63% of the AWOP.

Ultimately, we believe it’s important for older adults to have a choice in where they live and receive care. This is why a timely reimbursement system that is sustainable for high-quality providers is so critical.

What are the key issues facing the public and private sectors before 2030?

Before we look ahead to 2030, we must address the immediate needs. First, the growth of the senior population outpacing the workforce population presents us with a number of complicating factors. Namely, who will care for older adults in our state? And how will we afford that care unless we properly invest in the funding system, expand access to care and services, and remove barriers preventing providers from delivering quality care?

Once those crisis situations are addressed, we should look at how we will modernize care and implement population health solutions, cause collaboration through interoperability, and leverage data and technology.