Editorial: Nursing homes need boost

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According to a report recently compiled by the Long-Term Care Imperative, 85 percent of Minnesota voters “approve of increasing funding for in-home and community based care to make it easier for seniors to stay independent longer.” Furthermore, 77 percent of voters “support increasing funding for nursing homes to improve overall quality.”

Those numbers, then, suggest that legislation being introduced in St. Paul by several rural lawmakers should benefit from smooth sailing.

District 22A Rep. Joe Schomacker, R-Luverne, and District 22B Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, along with others, have authored HF 2375, which provides rate increases for nursing facilities and the elderly waiver program. The bill, an amendment to a current state statute, would increase by 2.5 percent the elderly waiver and alternative care program service rates (including all service component rates and limits) effective Oct. 1, and include operating payment rate adjustments of 2.5 percent for nursing facilities. It should be noted that District 22 Sen. Doug Magnus, R-Slayton, is a co-author of the Senate version of this legislation (SF 1949).

It’s no secret that as the state’s population ages, the needs of long-term care will expand. Right now, rural nursing home facilities as a whole are struggling; wage earners haven’t even seen a compensation increase in four years. It’s time for state legislators to listen to the people and give these facilities the support they need and deserve.

Tags: opinion, editorials, minnesota, politics, legislature, hamilton, magnus, schomacker, health