For Immediate Release    
March 31, 2015                                                                      

Contact: Rebecca Reid
410-212-3843

 

Companies Providing Equipment and Services to Nursing Homes Tell Legislators Fully Funding the Medicaid Rate is Good for Texas Business

 (AUSTIN, TX) –   Stressing the benefits of a thriving long term care sector to the state’s local economies, company owners and employees that provide goods and services to Texas nursing homes, met with legislators in Austin today to urge their elected officials to fully fund the Medicaid rate for skilled nursing facilities.

“It is important to understand the wide range impact fully funding the Medicaid rate for nursing homes has on our frail elderly, the dedicated staff who serve them and the businesses that support skilled nursing care,” said Buddy Parker, representative of First Choice Medical Supply in Garland, TX and chair of the Texas Coalition for Long Term Care Business (TCLTCB). “Not only are long term care businesses crucial for providers to deliver high quality care to our seniors, we also generate jobs across Texas and contribute to the local tax base. A fully funded Medicaid rate is good for Texas businesses and good for our statewide economy.”

The CLTCB was established to educate state policymakers about the direct impact that funding decisions made during the legislative session will have on their constituents and local economies back home.  According to Coalition members, the chronically underfunded Medicaid rate for nursing homes, currently at $343 million, not only compromises providers’ ability to attract and retain qualified staff, but also directly and indirectly impacts sustainable jobs and economic vitality in communities across Texas.

“Texas’ long term care businesses have made their Commitment to Care and have joined in support the efforts of nursing home providers to make our state a national leader in the delivery of excellent skilled nursing care,” said Parker.  “We respectfully call on Texas lawmakers to match that commitment and provide the long term care sector with the resources to help us meet our goal.”

The Texas Health Care Association (THCA) recently announced the Commitment to Care, a unified effort among Texas nursing home providers to enhance the delivery of long-term care by increasing focus on improving clinical outcomes, developing strategies to attract and retain a stable workforce, collaborating with senior care advocates, improving survey performance results, and promoting health care policy that facilitates providers’ ability to elevate overall care performance.

“Texas has always been a business friendly state, but there will be a domino effect to companies supporting long term care if the Medicaid rate for nursing homes continues to fail to cover the actual cost of providing care to our most frail seniors,” said Parker. “If nursing homes can’t purchase our products and services, the viability of our companies will be lost and so will jobs.  It is incumbent upon our legislative leaders to protect our seniors and preserve long term care jobs and businesses responsible for the quality of their care.”

 

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About CLTCB

The Texas Coalition for Long Term Care Business (TCLTCB) is an association of Texas-based long term care businesses providing valuable products and services to the state’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities caring for more than 60,000 elderly and disabled residents statewide. 

To learn more about Commitment to Care, please visit txhca.org/quality-care/commitment-to-care. For ongoing Twitter updates and information, follow @TXHCA and the #Commit2Care hashtag.