Maine legislators are trying to help long-term care providers float, recruiting and maintaining caregivers in the emergency law that comes when another nursing home closes the door.
Sen. Nicole Grohoski (d) proposed a bill to the state Department of Health and Human Services on April 8 that would require “(refunds) to reflect adjustments in living expenses. The DHHS should retroactively follow the adjustments until January 1.
The main purpose of LD 1489's funding is to direct workers into the sector rather than into the sector, she said.
“When you get a job at a fast food restaurant and get paid more than you can take care of those with the most pressing private needs, it can be difficult for people to stay at work, even if they are truly loved,” Grohoski recently said.
Maine's long-term care provider organization says it is fully supportive of the law and is desperately necessary.
Angela Westhoff, president and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association, told McKnight's Long-Term Care News on Tuesday. “We need to continue investing in direct care workers in order for everyone to get the support they deserve. Long-term care facility fees also need to be adjusted to accommodate the rising costs of care.”
MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, needs to eliminate the state's deficit and cover all costs of providing care to seniors in the state. Currently, MaineCare is estimated to face a $118 million shortfall, as two-thirds of LTC residents rely on the program.
We have decided to reverse the trend
LD 1489 is one of two bills recently proposed by Grohoski, which aims to improve the situation for long-term caregivers.
In a statement on the official Maine Senator's website, Grohoski said over the past decade, 29 state nursing homes and 26 residential care facilities have been closed. Eagle Lake's Mercy Home is the latest closure, with its final day scheduled for April 30th.
Grohoski attempted to issue a one-off payment of $50 million (cut to $35.5 million) to nursing homes in another bill, Ld 763, to “overturn the trend” in closures.
“Given that Maine's nursing homes are in their own way, I am determined to make the funds they desperately need. “Unless we act, more families will have a hard time finding care for their loved ones, and more seniors will be forced to leave what they call home.”
However, Ld 763 was voted last Thursday by the state's Health and Human Services Commission saying it should not be passed.
The spokesperson for the Main Healthcare Association hopes that the current proposal will pass in some way, saying McKnight's “providers are struggling and this bill will help make a difference.”
