A new bill in the Senate could offset the possible loss of $1.4 billion in emergency Medicaid federal funding for nursing homes. The new bill would become retroactive to June 30, when a $20 billion emergency package expired, and extend 15 months.
Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) have introduced S. 2761, which would provide $6 billion in funding to the states. The proposal would include $4.8 billion more for the federal medical assistance percentage (commonly known as FMAP) used to set the federal government’s portion of Medicaid funds. Last year, Congress approved $10 billion in emergency funding.
If the Smith-Rockefeller legislation, or something similar, does not get passed, long-term care providers could lose $1.39 billion in funding, according to the American Health Care Association.
