Illinois is tying Medicaid funding to staffing level for nursing homes!

Illinois nursing homes will undergo long-awaited rate reform this year. Gov. Pritzker signed a bill into law tying funding for nursing homes to staffing levels and the quality of care provided for seniors. Nearly 45,000 people in Illinois living in nursing homes rely on Medicaid. Those patients make up roughly 70% of the nursing home residents in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has been negotiating a patient-driven payment model for several years. Additional funding will be set aside to address increased costs at these facilities due to labor shortages and wage increases. The legislation calls for an adjustment of $4 per resident day for nursing homes that serve an above-average percentage of Medicaid customers. Workers could see their wages rise by as much as $8 per hour depending on their role and years working in nursing homes.

The law is set to take effect on July 1 pending federal approval. However, that could be delayed to October 1 if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services don’t approve corresponding changes to the reimbursement system and bed assessment for nursing homes.

William Wombacher, your Central Illinois Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) and Social Security Disability Specialist. I’ll help you! Call me at 309-674-8125, visit at www.wombacherlaw.com Serving Peoria, East Peoria, Peoria Heights, Pekin, Dunlap, Chillicothe, Morton, Washington, Metamora, Canton, Galesburg, Lacon, Henry, Bloomington, N

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