Illinois lawmakers are looking to increase assessment fees paid by nursing homes in order to fund a proposed law that aims to change the way providers are reimbursed in a push to reduce understaffing and reduce overcrowding in facilities.
The legislative proposal was introduced last week in the state’s General Assembly. Lawmakers hope to pass the bill before the end of May, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Under the bill, the state would change its reimbursement formula to be based on the Patient Driven Payment Model rather than the number of services performed. It also would end payments for rooms with three or more roommates, according to the report. The bill also proposes increasing reimbursement to providers that hire more nurses and aides.
The Health Care Council of Illinois described the legislation as a “dramatic policy that would significantly disrupt care.” It has called for an alternative measure that includes establishing a one-time payment per bed to help facilities recover from the pandemic, a guaranteed rate floor for managed care and increasing the nursing home bed tax to the federal minimum. The additional funding could go toward staffing, recruitment and wages, the group said.
“The fact is we share the same values and goals [the Department of Healthcare and Family Services] does in enhancing care, improving infection control and increasing staffing, but now is not the time to introduce dramatic policy changes that would significantly disrupt the delivery of care while the pandemic is still active,” Matt Pickering, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.
Currently, Illinois spends about $2.5 billion for nursing home care, with Medicaid covering about 60% of those costs.
