THE PROBLEM
Solid Efforts to Improve Medicaid Reimbursement Must Continue
Nursing home caregivers and all the staff who support quality care -- activities professionals, dietary, housekeeping, and maintenance workers -- are there for us, but Medicaid funding cannot keep pace with wage increases. Through October 2024, federal data showed hourly wages for long-term care facility workers up 31% since March 2020, which is staggering.
Under Gov. Sununu, solid bipartisan efforts were made to improve Medicaid funding, and those efforts must continue under Gov. Ayotte.
Medicaid is a Precarious Funding Source for Our Most Vulnerable
Most nursing home residents in New Hampshire have their care paid for by Medicaid, and delays in the completion of Medicaid applications or processing can result in a nursing home provider carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
The Department of Health and Human Services has worked collaboratively with providers to address this issue, because there's no margin for waiting. According to a May 2024 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, New Hampshire nursing homes had New England's second-worst median operating margin (at -5.2%) in 2022-23. Financial distress can prevent nursing homes from taking in those awaiting hospital discharge, and create waiting lists for needed care.
Policymakers must shore up this vital safety net!