Wyden, Warner, Merkley and Schumer Highlight Threat to Nursing Homes if GOP Approves Medicaid Cuts
Top Senators Reveal New Data from Brown University School of Public Health Showing Financial Stress Facing Nursing Homes
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Finance Committee member Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., today shared new data about the impact of the Republican budget bill on nursing homes and Americans who count on these facilities. The analysis, conducted by researchers from the Brown University School of Public Health, identifies 579 nursing homes that would be at elevated risk of closure due to the proposed cuts to Medicaid in the Republican budget bill. This includes 66 nursing homes in Texas, 51 in Ohio, and 39 in Missouri.
“The Medicaid nursing home benefit is the last line of defense protecting American seniors and those with disabilities from destitution,” Wyden said. “The Republican bill will worsen conditions in hundreds of nursing homes across America, especially those located in states represented by my Republican colleagues. These nursing homes are already walking on an economic tightrope, and many will be forced to close their doors. The consequences for these frail seniors can’t be overstated - it’s going to cause immense hardship for these Americans and their loved ones for years to come.”
“The GOP’s Medicaid cuts will devastate the long-term care infrastructure that millions of Americans depend on,” Warner said. “More than 60 percent of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid to cover their care. If their bill passes, we’re going to see facilities close, staffing levels drop, and quality of care decline – endangering lives and leaving families scrambling.”
“As I hold town hall meetings in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, I frequently hear about the struggles folks have in accessing health care in their communities. This isn’t a red state or blue state issue. Medicaid helps every state – especially rural communities,” Merkley said. “More than 500 nursing homes will be at risk of shutting down – in Oregon and across the country – if Republicans betray the American people and make these drastic cuts to Medicaid, all so that billionaires can pay less in taxes. This is the Republican plan: families lose, and billionaires win.”
“Republicans are gearing up for the largest cut to health care in American history – and their cuts to Medicaid will leave America’s seniors and those with disabilities at a loss for vital resources they need to survive,” Leader Schumer said. “Keeping nursing homes open is a matter of life and death, but Republicans are risking it all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. The cruelty of the Republicans’ tax plan knows no end, and if Republicans move forward with this, they will endanger the lives of the most vulnerable in our country and devastate American families by ripping away this lifeline from those who need it.”
The analysis, which was requested by the senators, comes as Senate Republicans prepare to vote on legislation that will cut more than $800 billion from the Medicaid program, forcing states to make impossible choices about how to provide health care to families. That includes ending optional benefits like home care and freezing payment rates to health care providers like nursing homes. These cuts will make it harder for nursing homes to hire and retain quality staff in addition to replacing broken equipment or financing up to date medical technology. Many of the nursing homes at risk already have a low quality rating, and further cuts will only endanger seniors and Americans with disabilities that count on these facilities for care.
The analysis identifies facilities that have the highest levels of residents enrolled in Medicaid, the facilities with the lowest occupancy rates, and those with the lowest quality ratings to determine which nursing homes face the greatest financial risk due to Medicaid cuts.
The full analysis can be found here. A list of the 579 nursing homes at an elevated risk of closure is here. The letter requesting the analysis can be found here.
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