PHCA President Calls on State Leaders to Commit to Senior Care Funding, Warns Lives are at Stake

HARRISBURG — As Pennsylvania’s skilled nursing facilities face the possibility of a fourth consecutive year without increases to Medicaid reimbursement for residents, PHCA President and CEO Russ McDaid warned the lack of funding is akin to playing Russian Roulette with the health and well-being of the state’s senior population. The comments came while McDaid interviewed as part of a segment for a statewide public affairs TV program set to begin airing on Sunday, April 29.

“It is alarming to witness a fourth consecutive budget in which the Commonwealth is providing no additional Medicaid funding for nursing facility care,” said McDaid. “Without appropriate funding, the risk to our seniors will increase and lives will be jeopardized unless we provide essential support for quality skilled nursing care. We’re calling on our leaders to reinforce their commitment to seniors and fund the care they desperately need today!”

While reimbursement for nursing facility care for Pennsylvania’s oldest and most frail residents remains unchanged, many essential services have seen substantial increases in their budgets. For example, correctional institutions have seen a 10 percent boost — including a 3.6 percent increase proposed in the 2018-19 proposed budget and an 18 percent increase in inmate medical care — at a time when the Wolf administration is touting a reduction in the number of inmates.

Skilled nursing facilities seek the same level of commitment from Gov. Wolf currently being provided to other services aimed at Pennsylvania’s vulnerable populations. Education, for instance, has seen year-over-year increases in funding since the Governor took office. Like the state’s children, seniors and those requiring 24-hour medical care also deserve and require significant support.

“It is beyond time that the Wolf Administration invests in care for Pennsylvania’s sickest and most frail residents in the same way it invests in the future success of other Pennsylvania residents,” McDaid said. “We are at the point where we can no longer bury our heads in the sand. We need to face these challenges head-on and develop a 21st-century approach to skilled nursing care that is fully aware of the needs of Pennsylvania residents.”

Individuals 85 and older represent the fastest growing population in the Commonwealth. Complicating matters, many older residents increasingly need intensive around-the-clock care — the type of care which is most safely and cost-effectively provided in nursing facilities.

McDaid also provided an update on House Bill 1037, which would limit punitive damages against long-term care provides to 250 percent of the amount of compensatory damages for skilled nursing facilities, assisted living residences and personal care homes.

The legislation, introduced by State Representative Warren Kampf, takes aims at out-of-state law firms filing frivolous lawsuits for huge cash settlements and provides skilled nursing facilities with the same level of protection physicians have had in Pennsylvania for the last 15 years.

“These firms are stalking Pennsylvania nursing facilities because our state’s tort climate is ripe for this type of abusive behavior,” McDaid said. “Let’s be perfectly clear, the lawsuits aren’t about protecting seniors or demanding quality care, they are all about predatory law firms taking advantage of the system to line their own pockets.

“We need to stop funding the lifestyles of the rich and famous for these firms and put that money where it belongs — back into care for those living in skilled nursing facilities.”

Since 2011, nursing facilities across Pennsylvania have been under attack. More than 150 full-page newspaper advertisements have been purchased by these predatory, out-of-state firms trolling for people and facilities to prey upon.

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program spent more than $104 million on liability-related costs in 2015, creating what amounts to a devastating “Tort Tax” on the facilities that care senior residents. Most of the taxpayer dollars lost to this “Tort Tax” go to pay contingency fees to out-of-state firms who are taking advantage of the state’s lax tort laws.

The public can learn more about HB 1037 or ask their lawmakers to support this legislation by visiting www.EndLawsuitAbuseinPa.com.

“Pennsylvania Newsmakers” is one of the state’s premier politics and public policy television talk shows. The show is available at www.phca.org and will air regionally:

• WGAL Channel 8 (Harrisburg and Lancaster) Sunday, April 29 at 11:30 a.m.
• WBPH (Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia) Monday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m.
• WKBS 47 (Altoona) Saturday, May 5 at 9:30 a.m.
• WPCB 40 (Pittsburgh) Saturday, May 5 at 9:30 a.m.
• MeTV (Susquehanna Valley) Sunday, April 29 at 11:30 p.m.