D. Chalimonczyk: Nursing Homes: Lower Quality and Higher Costs

To the Editor:

As a volunteer with AARP, I was recently able to speak with/meet Rep. Lanning and Sen. Langseth about two important issues at the State Capitol. I asked them to oppose proposals that will harm our loved ones that may be elderly and frail.

As legislators put together their budget bills, we must urge them to protect our most vulnerable – our loved ones who are in nursing homes. Under the Governor’s budget proposal, nursing home residents and their families would suffer twice – and these proposals must be stopped.

First, there is a proposal for a 2.5 percent rate cut to both nursing homes and home and community-based services which will inevitably lead to staffing cuts and poorer quality.

Second, costs will be shifted onto those who pay their own way. The Governor is proposing to repeal “rate equalization,” Minnesota’s long-time standard of charging all nursing home residents the same rate. Residents who have saved their entire lives and are currently paying out-of-pocket nursing home expenses will be forced to pay more.

This proposal flies in the face of efforts in Minnesota aimed at helping people plan better for their own care later in life. It also eliminates Minnesota’s tradition of fairness that people should pay the same for the same care. And the repeal does nothing to directly help the state’s budget or improve the quality of care. In fact, this repeal will result in more people becoming eligible for Medical Assistance even sooner and the costs to the state in the long run will rise dramatically.

I am very concerned that the proposals to reduce rate equalization will result in lower quality and higher costs – to myself and to our loved ones across our state.

I appreciate speaking with Rep. Lanning and Sen. Langseth and hope that they will help us stop these proposals. I encourage more readers to call them to weigh in on this important issue.

Donna Chalimonczyk
Moorhead