Tell Congress to Oppose Reductions to Nursing Facility Bad Debt Reimbursement

Late last week, House Republicans released HR 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act of 2011, which reduces nursing facility bad debt reimbursement. While the bill extends the payroll tax cut, extends the therapy caps exception process and provides the doc fix, it uses skilled nursing centers, as well as other providers, as a pay-for.

Florida facilities are struggling due to the funding reductions we’ve already sustained - $187.5 million to Medicaid and $332 million to Medicare in the past six months alone. HR 3630 threatens bad debt reimbursement for Florida nursing homes and will result in an estimated $172.8 million funding cut over the next three years. A reduction of this magnitude will seriously jeopardize our ongoing quality improvement efforts, put jobs of frontline caregivers at risk and threaten our state’s seniors and individuals’ with disabilities access to nursing home care.

The House could vote on this bill anyday, so please CLICK HERE to contact Congress and tell them to oppose the provision in the bill which reduces bad debt reimbursements for skilled nursing facilities!

Share this message with your coworkers, residents and their family members and ask them to do the same.

Florida’s nursing homes provide important health care services to seniors and people with disabilities and also provide secure jobs for over 259,000 citizens in our state. While real choices need to be made to help our country at this critical time, those choices should not overwhelmingly impact the Greatest Generation or those who care for them.