Budgets Are Out: Mixed Results Drive Targeted Advocacy for Assisted Living
Yesterday, as anticipated, the House budget proposal was released in Olympia. The public hearing was held yesterday evening. This followed last Thursday’s release of the Senate operating budget that was subject to public hearing on Friday night. Here’s the three-way budget comparison that shows LTC funding in the House, Senate, and Governor’s proposals.
We provided our overview of the Senate plan last Friday. While the plan was good for skilled nursing facility Medicaid reimbursement, it did not go far enough for assisted living and enhanced services facilities’ funding. The House proposal is favorable to skilled nursing facilities, enhanced services facilities, and specialized dementia care funding, but again, not supportive of assisted living.
At the proposed funding level of 78% for labor, the House plan increases labor reimbursement from the current level of $14.38 per hour to $16.40 per hour starting on July 1, 2023. This is not enough to allow providers to raise their workers' wages, and it is not enough to keep high-Medicaid census assisted living centers operating and providing care.
Both budgets send the wrong message—care in assisted living is not valued. Our state has a very diverse, predominantly female long term care workforce who deserve a livable wage—regardless of the setting they work in. In fact, 43% of the assisted living direct care workers in Washington are non-white and/or foreign born. We pride ourselves as a state that embraces all people and we are challenging the House and the Senate to demonstrate this social standard by funding worker wages in assisted living.
Both the Senate and House budget proposals for assisted living will have the effect of further limiting access to this setting for low-income seniors. High Medicaid-census facilities will fail under either plan. This is not an acceptable outcome. Our lobby team is working now to drive additional Medicaid funding for assisted living, and we need your help.
In the Senate, we are asking you to urge your Senators to support a floor amendment to the Senate budget that would fully fund assisted living labor costs. Please act today—there is little time left to affect change.
In the House, we are pursuing multiple strategies to increase Medicaid rates. We will keep you updated in our budget call to action that will detail the status of the House proposal. Please send a message supporting Medicaid funding.
Your action is important right now. House and Senate budget proposals are NOT final but will be very close before this week is done. Once each budget passes the floor of origin, final negotiations will begin in earnest.
