Unlike budget cuts at the office, underfunded nursing homes can't just take away the free lunches…or the water coolers…or the toilet paper. 😆🧻 Nursing homes make every dollar count to keep their residents happy and healthy. We don't want any motorized scooter standoffs! 👵🏻🆘
All jokes aside, OH nursing home facilities are hoping to get more money soon, thanks to some new efforts. 💸
Here’s Five Fast Facts on the push for funding:
- 👩🏻🦳Granny Needs A New Pair of Shoes - On behalf of Ohio’s nursing homes, lobbyists are requesting another $600M from the state. The money is needed to help offset rising care costs for state nursing homes, rehab centers, and assisted living facilities.
- 🪙 Pandemic Pennies - Lawmakers are considering tapping into Ohio's leftover federal COVID cash. States have until the end of 2024 to allocate any remaining dollars and have to spend it by 2026.
- 😑 Medicaid Shade - Medicaid reimbursement rates set the amount of money that's paid to nursing home facilities when they provide care to someone on Medicaid. Like other states, Ohio resets its Medicaid reimbursement rates each year, but they're not always based on the latest data. For example, 2021's rates were based on 2019 numbers, pre-pandemic. In other words, reimbursement data was outdated AF, leaving facilities short-changed.
- ⏫ Raise That Rate - Current Medicaid reimbursement rates are based on what the lowest 25% of facilities are paying. Supporters want the rate raised to 50% to help level the playing field.
- 👩🏻⚕️ #StaffingProblems - The highest costs to run a nursing home are related to staffing, which hasn't been an easy task. Some OH facilities needed to use agency staff because they haven't been able to find and retain full time employees.
🔥Bottom line: Anyone with a loved one in a nursing home knows their comfort and care are a number one priority. Yes, that includes the occasional neon disco bingo night. 🕺Nursing homes have suffered big time through the pandemic and need these funds to make a full recovery. Hopefully, the latest lobbying efforts lead to much-needed payouts.
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