Special thanks to Jeff Neumann, SeaMar; Jeffrey Hattori, Nikkei Concerns; and Carol Foltz (and staff), Park Place Assisted Living, for their presence and participation...
during the House Ways & Means Committee public hearing on Monday, November 28. Despite the raucous atmosphere, filled-to-over-capacity legislative building, at least one arrest and an extremely contentious budget proposal as the subject of the hearing, the financial straits of boarding homes and nursing homes serving Washington's seniors was messaged clearly and succinctly to those House of Representatives in attendance. Our members did us all a great service with their collective voices and passion.
The messages carried by Jeff, Jeffrey and Carol included: 1) The almost forgone conclusion that should the $5 per resident per day Medicaid Capital Rate Add-On be cut from the state budget, some boarding homes will close. Communities serving the very impoverished, some of whom are minorities or of color, may be especially impacted; 2) The Safety Net Assessment Fee charged to nursing homes should not be increased as outlined in the Governor's budget proposal. Relying on dollars
generated by this tax will place the state at even greater risk
if the federal government decides to end or reduce funding for this
program; and 3)
Aging Services of Washington supports proposals that use
a broad-based approach to generate new revenue to avoid cutting vital care and
services to seniors in nursing homes and boarding homes; as such we support the Governor’s proposal to
temporarily increase the State’s sales tax.
Contact Deb Murphy or Paul Montgomery at Aging Services for more information on these matters.
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