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The Palm Beach Post's veteran Washington correspondent, Larry Lipman, tracks policy makers and interest groups who are shaping the future of the federal health insurance program for the elderly.Medicare Web Resources
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Medicare is the federal health care system that covers about 36 million people age 65 and older, plus 7 million disabled. It has four parts:
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Financed by Medicare and beneficiary premiums, which vary among plans.
The plans are private and financed by Medicare and beneficiary premiums, which vary among plans.
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Home > Medicare Monitor > Archives > 2008 > April > 24 > Entry
Lawmakers: don’t cut Medicare-financed nursing homes
More than 40 bipartisan members of the House have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner urging them to stave off possible cuts in Medicare funding of nursing home care.
The lawmakers object to a Bush budget proposal to eliminate the inflation adjustment for skilled nursing facilities. That is estimated to have a $1 billion impact on nursing homes next year. The letter notes that other proposed regulatory changes would slash another $4.7 billion from nursing homes by 2013.
According to the American Health Care Association, the combined cuts would mean a nearly $19 per patient per day reduction in Medicare nursing home reimbursements next year.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact that cuts of this magnitude would have on America’s most vulnerable seniors and the workers who care for them,” said the letter co-authored by Reps.Tim Walz, D-Minn., and Chris Shays, R-Conn.
“At a time when Congress is working to stimulate economic activity and jobs growth, these Medicare cuts would jeopardize direct care jobs - 86 percent of which are held by women whose salaries are modest and whose families depend on receiving annual cost of living increases. We feel strongly that that these dedicated direct care workers are a key reason we have seen meaningful quality improvement in skilled nursing care in recent years.
“Nursing homes already operate on razor-thin margins, the lowest of any health care provider group. Without stable Medicare payments, many SNFs will lack the resources they need to continue to invest in the building facilities and health information technology necessary to providing the highest quality of care.”
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