Shortfall in Nursing Home Funding

01/30/2007

GOVERNOR'S NURSING HOME BUDGET PROPOSAL FALLS SHORT


Governor Pawlenty released his budget proposal last Monday for the 2008 – 2009 biennium. I am encouraged that he has addressed long-term care in his budget. There are eleven nursing homes in Houston and Fillmore counties. Many of these nursing homes are struggling to meet standards for care because the reimbursement rate has been frozen for over four years. While these facilities should be held to high standards of quality and performance, they should not face closing their doors because they weren't provided the funding to meet those standards.

The Governor's previous budget cuts to nursing home facilities across the state have already put long-term care providers in a tough financial situation. Many facilities have been forced to close because they haven't had the financial means to care for their residents. Without additional funding, this closing trend will only worsen leaving fewer care options for senior citizens no longer capable of living independently.

By 2020 the senior citizen population in Minnesota is projected to increase to more than the number of students enrolled in K-12 public schools. With an increasingly aging population, Minnesota nursing homes are in need of additional funding to meet this growing demand. Our senior citizens deserve better. We cannot neglect the needs of our nursing homes any longer. I ran for office with the intention of restoring previous cuts in funding to nursing homes and making lasting improvements in long-term care for Minnesota seniors.

I and several other rural legislators are having discussions on legislation to raise the reimbursement rate and to address other issues to improve funding of our rural nursing homes. In the next couple weeks we will introduce some bills to do this. What we are able to accomplish will be determined by the budget forecast coming out at the end of February and whether Governor Pawlenty will support or veto additional funding for nursing homes.

I will do all I can this session to provide these facilities the funding they need to provide adequate care for our senior population.


Rep. Ken Tschumper
Minnesota House 31B
http://www.KenTschumper.org

507-894-4248