Advocacy

(posted: 04.15.2019)

Join New Social Media Initiative

Sign me up!

(posted: 3.29.2019)

And more good news on the ASSISTED LIVING Medicaid funding

From: Alyssa Schnitzius, LeadingAge Washington <aschnitzius@LeadingAgeWA.org>
Sent: Friday, March 29, 2019 5:39:13 PM
Subject: Important Advocacy Update

Dear Assisted Living Members,

THIS JUST IN!

The House just unanimously passed an amendment in the Operating Budget that would fund the assisted living methodology at 75% of its fully funded level, equalling $46 million in state funds. This is a huge increase from the $9.6 million that was originally allocated in the underlying House budget. Representative Stokesbary (R-Auburn) brought the amendment to the House floor finding a festive revenue source to pay for the AL budget increase. In his amendment, he assumes a savings of nearly $400 million by hiring fraud investigators to prevent and recover fraudulently filed Medicaid claims.  Needless to say we are beyond thrilled this amendment was brought forward and unanimously supported by all members in the House.

However, we are not finished yet. The Senate budget needs to mirror the House budget and pass an amendment before it leaves the Ways & Means Committee or it’s considered on the Senate floor.  That said, there’s a smooth glide path since there is a revenue source to pay for the AL appropriation at the House level.

If we accomplish funding at 75% of the cost to fully fund the AL methodology, we no longer need to change the distribution method as there are sufficient funds to increase all CARES groups.

We need your help with two different advocacy messages:

1. Please reach out to Representative Stokesbary and thank him for his leadership and support for increasing assisted living Medicaid rates. Also reach out to your representatives thanking them for supporting this amendment.
2. Now we need to urge the Senate to increase funding equal to the House level! Please email or call all of the members of the Senate Ways & Means Committee with the following message:

“Please support Washington’s seniors and increase funding for assisted living Medicaid rates that is equal to the funding in the House Budget”

Calls or emails need to be sent by noon on Tuesday April 2^nd.

Ways & Means Committee email addresses:

Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov

David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov

Mark.Mullet@leg.wa.gov

Sharon.Brown@leg.wa.gov

John.Braun@leg.wa.gov

Jim.Honeyford@leg.wa.gov

Barbara.Bailey@leg.wa.gov

Randi.Becker@leg.wa.gov

Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov

Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov

Steve.Conway@leg.wa.gov

J.Darneille@leg.wa.gov

Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov

Bob.Hasegawa@leg.wa.gov

Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov

Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov

Guy.Palumbo@leg.wa.gov

Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov

Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov

Mark.Schoesler@leg.wa.gov

Kevin.VanDeWege@leg.wa.gov

Keith.Wagoner@leg.wa.gov

Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov

Lynda.Wilson@leg.wa.gov

Thank you all for your continued advocacy on this issue, we would not have made it this far without it. Have a great weekend!

Alyssa Schnitzius-Director of Senior Living & Community Services
1102 Broadway, Suite 201 | Tacoma, Washington 98402
p: 253.964.8870 | c: 206.948.2279

(posted: 3.28.2019)

Please call, email the members of the House Appropriations committee.  Their emails are listed below.

The “ask” is implied in the system description – annual rebase and inflation adjustment of the underlying costs.

We continue to push to pass the bills necessary to making the statutory changes to rebase and inflate under HB 2048 & SB 5836; and the funding for these changes must be included in the House and Senate budgets.

Robin Dale, President Washington Health Care Assosciation, Jeff Kline, CEO Kline Galland and I testified on Monday during session of the House Appropriations committee so this will not be a surprise to these committee members.

Would be really impactful if they heard this message many more times again.

Terry

From: Chris Wielga, LeadingAge Washington [mailto:cwielga@LeadingAgeWA.org] Sent: Monday, March 25, 2019 5:04 PM
To: Deb Murphy, LeadingAge Washington <dmurphy@leadingagewa.org>
Subject: House Budget Advocacy Alert!

Dear SNF Members,

Today the House Democratic Caucus released their 2019-2021 operating budget for skilled nursing facilities.

Our message to legislators has been very clear:  Skilled nursing facilities are imperiled because of the significant gap between Medicaid rates and the actual cost of care.  The House budget does little to move the mark on funding.

The House budget essentially maintains the status quo, providers would receive a rebase of rates on July 1, 2020. Unfortunately, that increase is far too little, far too late. By the time rates are rebased in 2020, the data used to establish those rates is over 42 months old, and doesn’t include an inflation index to account for increased costs. Under the House proposal, there is no actual relationship between nursing home Medicaid rates and the costs for providing care.

IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU EMAIL OR CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY IN RESPONSE TO THE HOUSE PROPOSAL.

Here is a sample message – please personalize an email or a telephone call to your legislators’ office(s) using these key points:

• Currently, nursing home rates are rebased biennially. Annual rebasing is critical for the skilled nursing home sector.
• The House budget includes a rebase of nursing homes in the second year of the biennium. It is appreciated, but it simply does not solve the problem of chronic rates shortfalls.
• Between now and the scheduled rebase of rates, nursing home Medicaid rates will continue to be based on 2016 costs with no allowance for inflation.
• Today’s Medicaid rates lag behind costs by 27 months. By June 2020, Medicaid rates will lag behind costs by 42 months, with no allowance for increased costs or inflation.
• These rates prevent us from being able to care for patients who are backed up in hospitals.
• The nursing home rate system is intended to be a cost-based system. A cost-based system using three and four year old cost data that is NOT adjusted for inflation guarantees failure.
• A move to annual rebasing is critical to stabilize the nursing home sector. We have seen 12 nursing homes close in the last two years.
• Absent a move to annual rebasing this year we will see more facility closures, resulting in more residents being transferred, and families searching for facilities even further from their homes.

The emails for the House Appropriations committee are below:

Thanks,

-Chris

(posted: 3.15.2019)

Support HB 2048/PSSB 5836

We ask that funding for HB 2048/PSSB 5836 be included in the budget.

This is just one story of many here in Washington State.  Received an inquiry for admission today from Skagit Valley Hospital.   Let’s call him Mr. Brown.  Mr. Brown is a 72 year old male with history of bilateral lower extremity ulcerations, MRSA(drug resistant infection) and hypertension presenting with severe chronic worsening lower extremity wounds.  He was being seen by the Providence hospital wound clinic but was unable to participate in outpatient wound treatments due to loss of transportation and living situation.  He denies use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs.  Mr. Brown and his brother have no home but had been living in hotels.  Patient currently has no place to live.  Mr. Brown’s treatment plan would include daily wound dressing changes by our Registered Nurses.  He would receive daily assessment and intervention from our interdisciplinary team which includes our medical doctor, social worker, occupational therapist, physical therapist, registered dietician, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and certified nursing assistants.  He would also be seen by a certified wound nurse.  Mr. Brown has Medicare A and B and is a veteran.  He would most probably need to stay longterm with us after his condition was stabilized with Medicaid being his long term payer after he applied for nursing home Medicaid benefit.

We were not able to accept him because we do not have an open Medicaid bed.  A few months ago we were forced to close a unit due to our inability to hire enough RN and LPNs to staff the med cart 24/7.   Our capacity went from 160 bed to 145 beds.  We will forced to continue to shed Medicaid beds if reimbursement continues to fall far short of the cost of care.  Listed below are the “business” reasons we, and every nursing home in Washington State, are increasingly unable to care for our community members who require Medicaid long term care.

• Eleven nursing homes have closed since 2017. Three of these were for sale without a buyer.  Failure to rebase rates is a major contributing factor.
• Washington surveyors write three times more IJ and G citations than the United States median. And about twice as many citations in total than the national median.  With IJ and G citations comes “Stop Placement” which cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1,500,000 in lost revenue.
• Now IJ citations come with daily fines of up to $22,000/day for every day of non compliance.
• The Medicaid department of DSHS is denying Medicaid benefits for people who have gifted assets up to 5 years before applying for nursing home residents. The nursing home can not discharge this resident who has been denied benefits because there is no “safe place” that will take a resident who requires skilled nursing.  No nursing home will accept a resident who has no money to pay for care and no Medicaid benefit to help cover the cost of care. He did not plan to get sick and require nursing home care.  We admitted a gentlemen who, while healthy and living alone on his property, gave property away.  We now have to care for him for almost three years without any reimbursement.  Or $290,000 worth of free care.  The family had agreed to sell the property to cover the cost of his care until an Adult Protective Services investigator told the family we could not discharge him.
• The average price per bed for a nursing home in the nation is around $100,000. Closed nursing homes in Washington are being sold for the value of the building and land.  There is no value in owning a license to operate a nursing home.
• Providers suffered over $147,000,000 in losses serving Medicaid clients.
• Washington’s mandatory staffing requirements are among the highest in the nation. With no reimbursement for the higher staffing requirements.
• Washington skilled nursing facility costs on average about $278/day. However, the current Medicaid program reimburses on average $217/day*.
• Josephine has reduced bed capacity by 15 beds. We were licensed for 160.  Now capacity is 145.  We are often full at 145 and are forced to turn down admissions from community members who are in the hospital.  These residents are forced to go to other nursing homes outside of our community.  Many other nursing homes have reduced bed capacity.
• Hospitals report difficulty in placing patients in nursing homes.
• Since 2017 our NAC wages are up 30%. RN/LPN wages are up 10%.  All other wages are up 4-6%.
• Percentage of Medicaid Direct Care Costs related to wages and benefits is 90%. Or 90 cents of every dollar of direct care cost.
• We closed a unit because we cannot increase wages anymore and we cannot hire enough RN and LPNs to staff the unit 24/7.
• Every year from 2008 to 2017 Josephine has provided over $1,000,000 of uncompensated Medicaid care.  In 2017, our skilled nursing facility lost over $1.6 million dollars on our Medicaid residents.  2018 will be worse.  This was the gap between the Medicaid allowable costs and our Medicaid rate. We cannot sustain these losses and continue to provide quality care.
• Idaho, our neighbor to the east maintains Medicaid reimbursement that is $45/day higher than Washington State.  Oregon’s Medicaid rate is $123/day higher than Washington State.  If Josephine had an Idaho address the Medicaid reimbursement would be $1.6M higher and $4.5M more if we had an Oregon address.
• Medicaid reimbursement is not keeping up with the cost of inflation.
• Current rates fall short of minimum wage increases since 2016 into account – and – they do not take into account the cost of increased competition for competent staff.
• Current Rates are based upon 2016 costs with no adjustment for inflation.
• A rebase is not currently scheduled until July 1, 2020.
• Today, rates lag behind costs by 26 months.
• Before the next scheduled rebase, rates will lag costs by 42 months, with no inflation adjustment.
• This BILL implements an annual rebase and a small inflation allowance and will go a long way toward stabilizing the nursing home sector.

*John Hancock’s Cost of Care Survey for skilled nursing facility semi-private room in Washington.

Primary Ways and Means contacts

Senator Barbara Bailey                       barbara.bailey@leg.wa.gov

Senator Christine Rolfes                     christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov               Ways and Means Chair

Senator David Frockt                           david.frockt@leg.wa.gov

Senate budget contacts

Representative Timm Ormsby           timm.ormsby@leg.wa.gov

Representative Eileen Cody               Eileen.cody@leg.wa.gov

District 10

Representative Norma Smith            norma.smith@leg.wa.gov

Representative Dave Paul                  dave.paul@leg.wa.gov.

Senator Barbara Bailey

Health and Long Term Care Committee

Annette Cleveland, chair                    annette.cleveland@leg.wa.gov

Emily Randall, vice chair                     emily.randall@leg.wa.gov

Steve Conway                                       steve.conway@leg.wa.gov                                

Karen Keiser                                          Karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov

David frockt                                           david.frockt@leg.wa.gov

Kevin Van DeWege                              kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

Steve O’Ban ranking                            steve.oban@leg.wa.gov

Barbara Bailey                                      barbara.bailey@leg.wa.gov

Randi Becker                                         randi.becker@leg.wa.gov

Ann Rivers                                             ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov

Ways and Means                

Christine Rolfes, chair                         christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov

David Frockt, vice chair                       david.frockt@leg.wa.gov

Mark Mullet                                          mark.mullet@leg.wa.gov

Andy Billing, capital budget               andy.billing@leg.wa.gov

Reuven Carlyle                                      reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov

Steve Conway                                       steve.conway@leg.wa.gov

Jeannie Darneille                                  jeannie.darneille@leg.wa.gov

Bob Hasegawa                                     bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov                             

Sam Hunt                                               sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov

Karen Keiser                                          karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov

Jamie Pedersen                                     jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov

Guy Palumbo                                        guy.palumbo@leg.wa.gov

Kevin Van De Wege                             kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

John Braun, ranking                            john.braun@leg.wa.gov

Jim Honeyford, asst. ranking operating           jim.honeyford@leg.wa.gov

Randi Becker                                         randi.becker@leg.wa.gov

Ann Rivers                                              ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov

Mark Schoesler                                     mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov

Keith Wagoner                                     keith.wagoner@leg.wa.gov

Judy Warnick                                        judy.warnick@leg.wa.gov

Lynda Wilson                                        lynday.wilson@leg.wa.gov