Nursing Home Residents, Workers, Owners Decry Rell Budget

HARTFORD (AP) — Republican Gov M Jodi Rell recently came under fire from nursing home residents, workers, and owners for not including additional funds for the financially strapped institutions in her proposed budget.

Faced with burgeoning energy costs and wage increases, facilities across Connecticut need at least a four percent increase in state Medicaid reimbursement — roughly $60 million — to keep pace with their expenses, said Toni Fatone, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities.

But Gov Rell’s budget director said the governor has increased funding the past two years and chose to focus on education and health care this year instead.

Ms Fatone said some facilities are in danger of closing their doors.

“There’s no way any of us in this room could give care if we end up with a zero budget for two years,” said Carmen Boudier, president of the New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1199, which represents numerous nursing home employees.

Nora Rideout, 74, a resident of Marathon Health Care in Torrington, said she worries what will happen if financial problems force her nursing home to close. Ms Rideout, who uses a wheelchair, has lived in three facilities over the years.

“I have had the most beautiful care there,” she said. “They are my family now. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to go any place else.”

Gov Rell, a Republican, did not include any additional money for nursing homes and hospitals in the two-year, $35.8 billion budget she unveiled in February. But she later said increased funding will likely be part of budget negotiations with the majority Democrats.

That statement angered Ms Fatone.

“How can you, in this day and age, say that a basic function of state government, a high priority of state government, nursing home care, should be a matter of negotiation,” Ms Fatone said. “It ought to be a standard funding item in our budget.”

Robert Genuario, the administration’s budget director, said Gov Rell deserves credit for being the first state leader to agree to seven percent increases for nursing homes over the past two years. He said the governor decided this year to focus more funding on education and health care.

Medicaid reimbursements for nursing homes will still total about $1.3 billion, or eight to nine percent of the total budget.

“Obviously the governor had to make some very difficult decisions in this year’s budget,” said Mr Genuario, adding that the administration is “not anti-nursing homes.”

Mr Genuario reiterated that the governor is willing to work with lawmakers on the issue of Medicaid reimbursement. He said he expects discussions will begin after the majority Democrats vote out their own tax and spending plans in the coming weeks.

But asked if Gov Rell would support a four percent increase, Mr Genuario said, “I think four percent is a big ask.” Mr Genuario said Connecticut’s reimbursement rates to nursing homes are among the highest in the nation.

Two years ago, the governor proposed violating the state’s constitutional cap on spending to funnel more money to nursing homes and private agency providers. Under the plan, nursing homes pay a “provider fee,” or tax, which is used to trigger additional federal Medicaid reimbursement. Those funds are doled out to the nursing homes and nonprofit social services agencies.

Ms Fatone said most states that have set up similar programs have sent most of the additional money to nursing homes. She said more than half of Connecticut’s extra money has been spent on other Medicaid-related programs, such as home care, personal care assistants, and private nonprofit social service providers.

Of $118 million in additional federal Medicaid reimbursement money, she said, nursing homes received $48 million last year.

“The state has an obligation to find funds to pay for all of their Medicaid services and not do it on the backs of the nursing homes,” she said.

The coalition of nursing home residents, owners and workers gave the governor’s office nearly 10,000 signatures urging her to increase funding.