Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the Home Care Association of America.
Home care association leaders welcomed President Biden’s recent choice of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“As the president’s nominee, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure would bring solid experience to a very difficult job,” National Association for Home Care & Hospice President Bill Dombi said. “She has demonstrated a high degree of capability and the versatility to handle the wide range of matters that occur in Medicare and Medicaid. We look forward to working with her upon confirmation by the Senate.”
LeadingAge and the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) also said they are pleased to begin working with Brooks-LaSure. HCAOA said it “looks forward to having an open dialogue” with the nominee.
“It has been proven that providing services and supports in people’s homes can have a significant impact on the quality of life of thousands of older Americans and people with disabilities, while also being more cost effective than the alternatives,” the Home Care Association of America, which represents more than 3,500 home care agencies across the county, said in a statement to McKnight’s Home Care Daily. “For too long, in-home care has not been recognized for the valuable contribution home care agencies provide in helping people remain in their own homes as they age.
“We hope that President Biden’s nominee, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, will make caring for older Americans a priority, which will send a loud signal to this country that it’s time to demonstrate our respect for older Americans and their right to remain as independent as possible by building a national comprehensive long term services and supports system.”
Brooks-LaSure is a managing director at Manatt Health, where she provides policy analysis and strategic advice to healthcare stakeholders across the private and public sectors. She previously served in the Obama administration as deputy director of Policy and Regulation at CMS and as program examiner for the White House Office of Management and Budget. She also led the Department of Health and Human Services’ agency review team during the Biden transition period, giving her inside knowledge of the administration’s healthcare plans.
If confirmed by the Senate, Brooks-LaSure would be the first Black woman to hold the post.
