<
THE ISSUE
Protect quality resident care and invest in nursing home caregivers
Nursing facilities provide a core state service to 32,000 frail elders and disabled individuals who can no longer be cared for safely at home. Two-thirds of nursing home residents rely on the state Medicaid program to pay for their care which underfunds quality nursing home care by hundreds of millions annually. A facility’s ability to invest in staff wages and hire additional staff is entirely dependent on Medicaid funding.
A vital workforce investment of $238 million is urgently needed to support the Commonwealth’s 45,000 dedicated nursing home caregivers and to hire additional staff to care for our residents. Without this critical investment, there will be devastating pay cuts to caregivers, which will further exacerbate the historic workforce crisis and put in jeopardy access to quality nursing home care.