Today is day 64 of the 105-day legislative session. March 8 marked the deadline for bills to pass the originating house unless necessary to implement the budget. The two-year state operating budget is a high priority for WHCA members providing care and services to Washington’s Medicaid clients. The operating budget establishes Medicaid payment levels from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025. Current Medicaid rates for skilled nursing, assisted living, and enhanced services recipients fail to meet basic operating costs, let alone the cost of labor in this hypercompetitive environment. The State Economic Forecast will be released on March 20, and the Senate and House budget proposals will follow.
Long term care is not the only sector seeking legislative budget support. Thus, it is important to distinguish why this funding is critical—Washington’s vulnerable people who require long term care services and supports deserve to receive care from qualified, empathetic, and adequately paid professionals. Current state Medicaid rates simply do not support this objective. The long term care workforce is doing some of the most important and challenging work imaginable, yet our state consistently fails to adequately value these workers by recognizing living wages in Medicaid payment rates. Legislators need to hear from their constituents—as many as possible—about the need for funding for skilled nursing, assisted living, and enhanced services.
|
|
Policy Round Up
Over 2,000 bills have been introduced during the 2023 session; any legislation that does not meet legislative deadlines in 2023 can be subject to action in the short session of 2024. A number of workforce measures continue to advance in the legislative process, including legislation to make Washington a Nurse Compact state. Additionally, legislation to better regulate nursing pools has passed the Senate and has been referred to the House Health Care Committee for consideration. Read the details about key policy measures
Advocacy Matters
Enhanced Services Facility (ESF) Operators Advocate for Funding: Last week, WHCA ESF provider members sent a letter to Washington budget writers seeking funding and policy support for the specialized services provided in this setting. ESFs offer a unique combination of intense behavioral support, personal care, and nursing services at a level that is not generally provided in other licensed long term care settings. The wraparound service model was specifically designed by the Legislature to provide care for individuals with co-occurring long term care needs and behavior disorders who are difficult to discharge from acute care hospitals. The policy support requested would address the current DSHS case management and referral process that hinders provider ability to accept these residents.
|
|
No Tax on Senior Meals: On Thursday, Barbara Lane, Luther Foley, and Marilyn Pennington, independent senior residents at Mt. Glen Senior Living in Mt. Vernon, were joined by bus driver Randy Vail for a trip to Olympia, where Barbara testified in the Senate Ways and Means Committee in support of SB 5748, legislation that clarifies that independent senior meals are not subject to taxation.
|
|
|
Your Voice Matters
Last week, we saw a surge in email messages to Washington legislators through our email advocacy system. Special thanks to Life Care Centers of America, who drove the most messages of any company with 99 in the past month, and to Christian Health Care Center, who holds the individual facility record with 36 emails sent to their legislators over the same period. Thank you for distributing this flyer to encourage your teams to advocate – please make it a personal mission to ask ten others to add their voices to our call for legislative action on Medicaid funding.
Here's what your colleagues are telling their legislators:
|
|
|
|
“We all have aging loved ones – parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles – and not every family is going to be able to take care of them. For operators to take care of those people, especially those who don’t have the money to pay and rely on state assistance, we need better reimbursements to stay solvent.”
—Ken Alexander, Executive Director at Alderwood Manor
|
|
|
|
"Operating at a loss, we pay our staff $19 an hour and for many that only covers their rent. Why would someone come work for me in a medically complex and stressful job dispensing medication and caring for people with memory issues when they could make $21 an hour at the neighboring McDonald’s mindlessly salting French fries?"
—Lori Luzader, Administrator at Laurel Place
|
|
In the News
Follow Us and Tag Us in Your Social Media Posts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
