Medicare cuts affecting Nursing homes

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/aleqm5gdfr0_tew5uy9ylv2yvln1mdyfswd9b4eveg0

a medicare rate adjustment that cuts an estimated $16 billion in nursing home funding over the next 10 years was enacted at week's end by the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services — on top of state-level cuts or flat-funding that already had the industry reeling.

and congress is debating slashing billions more in medicare funding as part of health care reform.

read more in the above link.

nursing homes are closing at an alarming rate, state funds are being cut.

this is really scary for nurses since this is before health care reform. next hospitals will be cutting back more. tough times for all nurses and non nurses.

[pinksugar]

Yeah, that really stinks for nurses, and for the patients/residents, too. If all of the nursing homes close up, where will these poor old people go? What if they have no family available to care for them? What will we do with them? They can't just go out on the streets...

[diane227, LPN, RN]

Nursing home funding is already cut to the bone. Already they do not have enough staff to take care of the patients there. But you know those people in Washington will never be in one so it won't matter to them.

[Jolie, BSN]

This article is a clear indicator of what is to come if we allow our Congress to "fund" health care "reform" by cutting Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.

One point made in the article is that some nursing homes are seeking Medicare residents, rather than Medicaid residents, since Medicare pays better for the same services. This raises two important issues: 1. Medicaid reimbursement does not cover the cost of care, making these patients "undesirable" and leaving them without access to care, despite having a public insurance plan. 2. Our system relies on better paying sources of reimbursement (private insurance and self-pay) to meet the funding deficits of government plans. Where will we be when private sources of funding no longer exist to make up these deficits? We'll all be without access to adequate care.

[MedicalLPN, LPN]

This is just so disturbing all the way around. I know in many facilities on nights 1 nurse will have 60 patients, can't help but wonder if all these cuts take place how many patients 1 nurse will have, 120? More importantly, our elderly are getting the boot and it's not right, most of the people in NH have no where else to go. Geez... I know times are tough but this is just getting ridiculous and our elders are caught in the middle of it, not fair, not okay...

[AnnieOK]

This is a glimpse into the future, and will be made even worse if the current health care 'reform' bill passes. The hardest hit will be our elderly parents, grandparents, all who qualify for Medicare. The older they are, the less reliable the government will be for them.

[BahoRN]

The crappy part of restructuring is that institutions are too quick to cut back on nursing staff and equipment before bonuses. We need a plan that requires a "back to the basics" attitude.

1. modest profit (if any at all)**

2. adequate shelter, food, clothing for patients

3. modern equipment and technologies

4. responsible patient-nurse ratios, responsible nurse-RN ratios

5. accountability

6. community involvement

**wouldn't it be nice if "for profit" companies were required to apply percentages from their profit back into the direct care/comfort of patients?

[GCTMT]

It's amazing how many pyschics are participating on this tread. I counted two but there could have been more.

No one has a crystal ball.

I was unable to read the article. When I clicked the link it took me to the Chicago Tribune and a list of unrelated stories.

I agree with some of what BahoRN wrote. Erase the for-profit motive from health care and cut CEO salary drastically.

Single payer would go a long way to cut costs and cover everyone. I also think we should raise taxes and cut spending, we can start with defense. The United States accounts for 41.5% of the global distribution of military expenditure in 2008. To put it another way, the U.S. military budget is almost as much as the rest of the world's defense spending combined. We can make meaningful cuts to defense and still defend ourselves.

If we cut spending and raise taxes, I think we wouldn't have "medicare cuts effecting Nursing homes". :)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Replaced link to story by AP reporter Dave Collins on Oct 4th, 09....

Waves of new fund cuts imperil US nursing homes