FHCA Issues Statement on House Budget Exercise - Protect Medicaid Funding for Nursing Center Care

FHCA Executive Director Emmett Reed issued the following statement regarding the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee budget exercise which, in the first scenario, held nursing centers harmless from Medicaid funding cuts. The second scenario proposed a $75 million funding cut to nursing center care.

"We appreciate that Chairman Brodeur didn’t include us in their first tier of budget cuts; however, a $75 million reduction to nursing centers’ Medicaid reimbursement represents a significant threat to Florida’s long term care sector. Medicaid already underfunds our state’s nursing centers by $14 per patient per day, or almost $325,000 per center annually. High quality care and adequate funding go hand in hand, and with nearly 60 percent of the residents in our centers depending on Medicaid to cover their long term care needs, our state’s nursing centers simply can’t sustain any more reductions. We hope the House recognizes the importance of preserving Medicaid funding for nursing center care and keeps our funding intact when the final budget is released."