The California Senate passed the Nursing Home Quality Care Act (AB 1629) by a vote of 29 to 1 on Wednesday. The legislation will move to the Assembly floor by today.

The legislation calls for nursing homes that care for Medi-Cal patients to pay a quality assurance fee, which would enable the state to tap an estimated $250 million in federal dollars to support the new funding system. This would be the most significant change to the Medi-Cal system since its inception in 1965. Nursing homes currently receive a flat fee for care of each resident, no matter how much care is needed.


With the new funding system, nursing homes are expected to be able to hire more caregivers, raise pay and benefits, and renovate aging buildings.