Group urges increased state funding for nursing homes

It has been 15 years since New York's nursing home Medicaid rates have been updated to reflect current operating costs, despite those costs rising significantly. LeadingAge New York, a group that represents not-for-profit care providers including nursing homes and adult care facilities, is trying to change that. They are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to increase the nursing home Medicaid rate by 20% in this year's executive budget proposal.

"A 20% increase to the nursing home Medicaid rate represents less than half of the actual increase in costs since the rates were last updated in 2007. While it will not make providers whole, a meaningful investment in the nursing home Medicaid rate is critical to ensuring that homes can raise wages, hire more staff, re-open beds, provide high quality care, and stabilize the larger health care delivery system" says Jim Clyne, CEO of LeadingAge New York.

In the Rochester area alone, between 1,100 and 1,500 nursing home beds have been off-line for almost a year, which they say is directly tied to Medicaid reimbursement.

For more information on this issue, you can visit leadingageny.org/