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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 23, 2019 02:38 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Thomas R. Caltagirone |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Providing County Owned Nursing Homes Annual Medicaid Reimbursement Increases Equal to the Medical Care Inflation Rate |
| I have learned that we are jeopardizing long term care options for our aging poor population because we are not adequately reimbursing our county operated nursing facilities. These county run facilities set aside a majority of their beds for Medicaid patients, many provide services not offer elsewhere like Alzheimer care and often times are the only option for poor seniors and their families. Under my legislation county owned nursing homes will receive an annual Medical Assistance bed rate increase equal to the Medical Care Inflation rate, as measured by the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics for all urban cities on an unadjusted basis. The inflation rate will be measured as of June of each year for the trailing 12 months. This incremental amount will be funded exclusively by state funds, without federal FMAP participation, and shall be in addition to the IGT program dollars for FY 2018-2019 for all county owned nursing homes. At its peak, as many as 50 Pennsylvania counties operated nursing facilities. The states failure to provide adequate reimbursement year after year has caused the number of county owned facilities to dwindled to less than 20. If all county owned facilities shutter the Commonwealth will experience a loss of at least $28 million in federal dollars and create a hole in the Pennsylvania budget. I believe our seniors and county owned nursing facilities are worth our investment. Please co-sponsor this legislation. |
Memo Updated: January 23, 2019 02:39 PM