Seniors and Workers for Quality has been lobbying hard this session to prevent the repeal of Minnesota’s rate equalization law, which prevents nursing homes from charging more to private-pay residents of nursing homes than the Medical Assistance reimbursement rate for the same services. We encourage you to contact your Senator and Representative and urge them to maintain the rate equalization law.
For more information, please look at our fact sheet. Rate Equalization Fact Sheet (PDF)
Al visits his wife daily in the nursing facility and the staff at the nursing facility need him almost as much as he and Alice need them.
Please read their story here.
Seniors and Workers for Quality Coalition
www.seniorsandworkers.org
CALL TO ACTION!
On Monday, March 30th, a member of the House of Representatives asked if nursing homes were really hurting because he had not heard from any of his constituents asking him to protect Long-Term Care!
Please take 5 minutes to call and/or email your legislator immediately to remind them that nursing facilities and older adult services are crucial to our communities and that the residents and workers have suffered enough!
Find your legislator here:
http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/
Please ask your legislator to protect Long-Term Care!
Talking Points:
• Reducing funding to Long-Term Care means cutting staffing in facilities that are already short staffed. Losing these jobs does not help the Minnesota economy.
• 40 percent of direct-care workers rely on public benefits, such as Medical Assistance or food support, reflecting the enormous subsidies required to compensate for low wages and insufficient benefits.
(http://www.directcareclearinghouse.org/download/PHI%20FactSheetNo2.pdf)
• Minnesota is expected to have almost 800,000 elderly by 2015 and 1,00,000 elderly by 2025 (www.demography.state.mn.us). Short term planning in Long-Term Care leaves Minnesota even less prepared for the baby boomers when they begin to require services.
The recomendations from the Governor were released in January. Please click below for those recommendations that affect nursing homes and other Long-Term Care recommendations. The Governor and DHS will adjust the budget in the next month to reflect the state’s February revenue forecast and the effects of the federal stimulus package. Please watch for these changes on the website.
Modify Nursing Facility Level of Care Threshholds pg. 59
Eliminate Nursing Facility Rebasing pg. 75
Reduce Long Term Care Provider Rates and Grants pg. 76
Change MA Single Bed Payment Policy pg. 80
Simplify Planned Closure Rate Adjustment pg. 81
Nursing Facility Intergovernmental Transfers pg. 82
Please check the newly updated Research page for statistics and information about the Long Term Care crisis.
Welcome to the Seniors and Workers for Quality Coalition website and the first day of the 2009 Minnesota Legislative Session!
The Seniors and Workers for Quality Coalition will be updating the website and Profiles in Care every Friday throughout the 2009 Minnesota Legislative Session. Profiles in Care are stories from workers and residents in Long-Term Care facilities in Minnesota about their day to day lives.
Our website will be frequently updated with valuable information and links with data on the rising concerns of short staffing, inadequate compensation and difficulties in this service sector. We look forward to working with legislators to provide quality care to residents, clients, and workers of Long-Term Care facilities and services in Minnesota.