The Motion Picture & Television Fund put out a statement on Wednesday “to identify and dispel several untrue allegations” made about the decision to close the long-term care facility and hospital at its Woodland Hills retirement home. Since these “allegations” came from TheWrap’s investigative series on the closures, we are taking the opportunity to rebut the MPTF’s rebuttals.
The MPTF leadership chose not to raise any of these points during an audio news conference this morning, where both Sharon Waxman, editor of TheWrap, and Andrew Gumbel, author of the series, were present.
- ALLEGATION: MPTF’s announcement of its acute hospital and long-term care closure effectively ends the comprehensive care it once provided to aging industry members.
TRUTH: MPTF is, in fact, continuing its commitment to comprehensive care for seniors in the entertainment industry, including those who will need to relocate. Each person who is relocated will be followed by a Community Care Team consisting of a doctor, a nurse practitioner, nurses, pastoral care and a social worker, all of whom will continue to be involved with their care. Seniors needing hospitalization or long-term care following the closure will be provided with referrals to other MPTF-approved facilities. MPTF
continues to provide care for the more than 215 retirees who live on the Wasserman Campus in independent and assisted living and memory care. We expect this will ultimately position us to be able to provide comprehensive care and assistance to the thousands of entertainment industry seniors who want to age in their own homes.
THEWRAP RESPONDS: Care is not comprehensive if it stops at the moment when elderly residents need the kind of intensive attention provided up to now by the long-term care facility. Members of the entertainment industry have paid dues to the MPTF for years on the understanding that once they enter the home they need never worry about leaving for the rest of their lives.
- ALLEGATION: MPTF’s claim that declining Medi-Cal reimbursements and a depleting endowment are reasons for the closure is untrue.
TRUTH: Medi-Cal reimbursement, which represents more than 80 percent of MPTF patient load, has not kept up with the operating costs of the MPTF hospital and long-term care unit. MPTF provides millions of additional dollars to provide the outstanding service and care that has been so widely acknowledged. The gap between what MPTF receives for these services rendered and the actual cost is $10 million, and has been for the past 4 years. MPTF has had to subsidize a $20 million-a-year difference ($10 million for hospital and long-term care, and an additional $10 million for all other charity services). The gap for operating the hospital and long-term care facility will grow significantly every year, which would lead to a complete depletion of MPTF’s endowment and eventual bankruptcy.
THEWRAP RESPONDS: The allegation is a distortion of what we wrote. We acknowledged that Medi-Cal reimbursements are being squeezed by California’s budgetary crisis. But we also reported, accurately, that the MPTF’s endowment increased in size in 2006 and 2007, as did the total amount of government reimbursements.
