Urge Legislators to Prevent Funding Cuts to Nursing Home Care

Today we learned that the House has accepted the Florida Senate's proposed 7% ($200 million) funding cut to nursing home care. We need your help today with contacting your legislators and urging them to prevent these deep nursing home funding cuts as they prepare to finalize the 2010-11 budget. We still expect Congress to pass the six-month extension of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, and legislators should use that anticipated FMAP money to alleviate these deep cuts to nursing home care.

Help e-mail these important messages to your legislators:

• Funding cuts could negatively impact caregiver jobs, since nursing homes devote 70% of operating costs to people - salaries, wages and benefits.
  
• Florida's nursing home staffing standards are among the highest in the nation, and good care costs money. Staffing should fully funded.
  
• The anticipated FMAP money should be used to fund the Medicaid program and help serve our most vulnerable citizens - frail elders who reside in our nursing homes, two-thirds of who rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of their care.

Click here and help send an e-mail to your lawmakers today and urge them to oppose these deep funding cuts. Lawmakers are conferencing on the budget this week, so time is of the essence.