Federal authorities have approved a nursing home bed tax that will allow Illinois to collect more than $100 million a year in new Medicaid money that officials say will be used to boost facility staffing levels and implement other safety reforms mandated by a landmark 2010 overhaul, the Tribune has learned.Gov. Pat Quinn pushed hard for the tax as a way to hire more state inspectors and finance other reforms in Illinois' troubled long-term care system without dipping into the state's already-depleted coffers.
"This is positive news for people who live in a nursing home or have a loved one living in a nursing home," said a statement from Quinn. "It means that our nursing homes get the funds that they need to continue improving safety and the quality of services."
Still, the AARP and some leading advocates for the elderly and disabled raised concerns about the measure, arguing that it will provide a windfall for substandard, profit-making facilities while not doing enough to move thousands of younger mentally ill adults out of nursing homes and into community settings where they could get better care.
Because much of the bed tax will be returned to the nursing homes via the Medicaid program, which funds health care for the poor, facilities with fewer indigent patients will recoup less money. Illinois' nonprofit nursing homes, which generally serve small numbers of Medicaid clients, argue that the tax will penalize them unfairly.
"It is a bad plan for good homes and a good plan for bad homes," said Kirk Riva, vice president of public policy at the Life Services Network, the association of nonprofit facilities. "We think it's offensive."
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U.S. OKs Increase in Nursing Home Tax to Bring in More Medicaid Money
Boost staff levels? Now, that's just plain dreaming.
ReplyDeleteWill it boost inspections?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this law will result in greater profits for the profiteers, and penalize nursing homes who truly do attempt to provide excellent care with better staffing ratios.
ReplyDeleteIf the Illinois power leaders want to fund Medicaid all they have to do is look at the guardianship files for the 'wards of the state of Illinois' who came into the guardianship with assets, income, property, vehicles but their assets are hidden, protected for
ReplyDeleteADMINISTRATIVE FEES not for the benefit of the ward oh no this plan puts the 'ward' with assets on MEDICAID folks for you and me and the other over taxed taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Sound right? Sound ethical? Sound fair? Sound sneaky? If you think this sounds like a good plan, too good to be true, then you are one in the parade of billers attached to each 'ward of the state'.
It's all about the billing for the guardianship industry.
There are many ways to drain the assets of the wards leaving us with the bills that are increasing at an alarming rate.
This is all about how to fund a broke, broken system ripe for rip-off our generous medicaid program. Creative? Desperate? Recipe for corruption? What's next? I hope the upcoming generations of future nursing home residents, baby boomers are liing up now, those who are next better get their exit plans in order. Follow the money!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is disgusting. Old people, people who need Medicaid because of financial hardships are the ones who are walking $ signs. When will Governor Quinn get a real job and move on and out of Springfield? We need new leaders in this state, Mike Madigan has to go. The majority, the Democrats have had their time and look at the conditions! Who will they blame? Bush? People are leaving the state, good taxpaying people leaving us with a bigger bill and more problems.
ReplyDeleteFOLLOW THE $
ReplyDeletePEOPLE ARE CHURNED INTO PRODUCTS TO FUND FUND FUND OTHERS FOR PROFIT
BEWARE YOU ARE NEXT, I AM NEXT WE ARE ALL WALKING $ TARGETS
THINK YOU ARE NOT AFFECTED?
EVERYONE IS AFFECTED AND IMPACTED
Abuse of OBRA Special Needs Pooled Trusts in Cook County Probate Court is disgusting. Wealthy elderly wards are guardianized, OBRA-cized, and placed into Medicaid beds at the cost of the taxpayers. The attorneys and guardians then drain the estates to nothing with their fees.
ReplyDeleteOBRA laws need to be examined to close this loophole.
And one can only wonder who owns the Medicaid homes where the wards are consistendly placed?