February 13, 2013
With $9 billion in Budget Relief Act sequester cuts to the U.S. skilled nursing facility (SNF) sector now just weeks away following the latest cut of at least $600 million in Medicare Part B therapy payments after passage of the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), we are making it a priority this month to ensure Congress carefully reviews the cascade of budget and regulatory changes since 2009 that leaves the nation's second largest health facility employer facing a staggering $65.6 billion in Medicare funding reductions over the next ten years.
November 12, 2012
Despite the customary complaints about negativity and the avalanche of TV ads, the 2012 campaign was unusually substantive from the standpoint of the entitlement reform discussion because both sides were required to make their best arguments about how we as a nation will protect seniors' Medicare funding in an era of unprecedented fiscal chaos.
November 12, 2012
The leader of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care expressed optimism Friday after President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) spoke publicly about looming healthcare funding threats.
The Affordable Care Act's controversial Medicare payment board would be an "agent for reimbursement cuts to Medicare," according to a policy paper released Wednesday.
May 10, 2012
Medicare cuts scheduled to hit in January will cost skilled nursing facilities close to $800 million in fiscal year 2014, a new analysis estimates.
Bad debt provisions of recent legislation will cut skilled nursing facility payments by nearly $3 billion between 2012 and 2021, with a handful of states bearing the brunt of it, a report finds.
In order to survive an uncertain financial and regulatory environment, skilled nursing operators need to look at partnering with other healthcare systems and improving the quality of care, analysts say.
Ohio skilled nursing facilities have shed or plan to shed 2,800 jobs in the wake of recent Medicare and Medicaid cuts, new survey results show. It could be just the start of losses to be felt around the country.
November 17, 2011
According to The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, the ACA tackles the issue of costly hospital readmissions by focusing on hospitals, but ignores skilled nursing facilities. The Alliance has therefore proposed an interim solution based on proposals the Obama administration has offered the "super committee."
President Obama's proposed $3 trillion new deficit-reduction plan would reduce Medicare spending by $248 billion and Medicaid spending by $72 billion over 10 years. Administration officials say that most of the savings would be achieved by reducing Medicare overpayments to doctors and other healthcare providers.
Provider groups are concerned that President Obama's newly unveiled $447 billion jobs plan will eat away at job growth in the healthcare sector, which is one place advocates say the economy is growing.
August 30, 2011
Two lobby groups representing the nation's for-profit nursing homes kicked off a nationwide ad campaign Monday aimed at preventing additional cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
August 09, 2011
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has put all six of its rated for-profit nursing home operators on Credit Watch with a negative outlook.
July 01, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should keep Medicare payment rates to skilled nursing facilities at the current level for one year, instead of implementing an 11.3% cut in fiscal year 2012, says LeadingAge, a top lobbying organization for providers, in comments submitted to the federal agency.
Appearing in a hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went to bat for the Obama administration's entitlement reform plan in the Affordable Care Act. She also criticized Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) FY 2012 budget proposal, according to a report from The Hill.
To strengthen providers' argument that the GOP's proposed Medicare changes would endanger employees' livelihoods, the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care has released a report showing the industry's strength as a job creator.
The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care is launching a new ad campaign to remind lawmakers that skilled nursing and rehabilitation service facilities are the second-largest health facility employer in the United States.
