NY cannot underfund long term care. We need access in the Hudson Valley | Opinion

As the New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul enter the final weeks of state budget discussions, the health care sector continues to feel the strain of a workforce crisis and reduced availability of long-term care services. The state’s health care continuum is overwhelmed due to outdated reimbursement, a depleted workforce and high demand for nursing home, assisted living and home care services. Chronic underfunding has brought hospital, nursing home and union advocates all together to call for a 20% Medicaid rate increase for services ranging from adult day-, to assisted living- to skilled nursing home care.

Today, there are 6,600 fewer nursing home beds available in our state than there were in 2019. As a result, older adults and vulnerable individuals, many of whom are low-income, are being turned away from potential homes and are struggling to access the care they need. At Valley View, the Orange County operated nursing home, 90 beds are currently offline due to staffing challenges. Meanwhile, they have a growing list — currently totaling 50 people — that are seeking long-term care placement. The facility has dozens of nursing staff vacancies — nurse aides, licensed and registered nurses, and nurse manager positions — all waiting to be filled. Valley View would hire for these positions and bring more beds back into operation immediately if they could find the workers. However, the state’s nursing home Medicaid reimbursement — which pays for the care of over 80% of Valley View residents — is currently based on 2007 costs, making it impossible to compete for staff in 2023.

Prior to the pandemic, United Hebrew of New Rochelle, a non-profit provider of comprehensive senior care services ranging from independent living to skilled nursing care, saw what many call the elephant in the room. Medicaid reimbursement was 40% short of the actual cost per day. The rate hadn’t been updated in over a decade. Meanwhile, approximately 72% of its residents depend on Medicaid to pay for their care.

United Hebrew went into the 2022 fiscal year projecting an annual deficit of $7 million. With nursing home residents that need 24/7 care, and the inability to compete with hospitals and agencies for nursing staff, the only avenue to lower the deficit and try to remain financially viable was to downsize from a 296-bed nursing home to a 176-bed facility.

The shared mission of United Hebrew, Valley View, and hundreds of non-profit and publicly run nursing homes across the state is to maintain high quality care and staffing for our older adults who deserve the best that we can give them. But we can’t do so with inadequate reimbursement. Every state budget reflects the values and priorities of the Governor and legislative leaders. We must ask ourselves a very important question - where will our most vulnerable people go if we don’t have the capacity to care for them?

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Our workforce and residents of the present and future deserve better than what New York is currently offering. Many other states have met the need — in 2022 Pennsylvania provided a 17.5% Medicaid increase for nursing homes. It is time for New York to join its neighbors.

New York must provide a 20% across-the-board Medicaid increase for nursing homes in the Final Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. We need 20% in order to bring more nursing home beds back into operation and sustainably offer the wages and bonuses that a dedicated workforce demands and deserves. Anything less will result in more closures of quality nursing home beds and access to care issues throughout the health care continuum.

Laurence LaDue is administrator at Valley View Center in Orange County and Rita Mabli is president and CEO of United Hebrew in Westchester County.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: long-term care New York funding