New details are emerging from Washington this week about a proposed economic stimulus package that some are saying could cost up to $850 billion and contain $100 billion in state Medicaid funding. Medicaid is the biggest payer of nursing home care in the United States but is facing increasing pressure from the economic downturn.
The new two-year stimulus plan under development in the capital is considerably more expensive that the current plan, which has a price tag of $600 billion, the Associated Press reports. And while the current plan allots $50 billion in state Medicaid funds, the new proposal could include up to twice that amount.
Also found in the new stimulus package is increased funding for the adoption of electronic health records, which many in Washington see as a big step in healthcare overhaul. Aides to President-elect Obama have said they plan to consider the new stimulus package in January 2009, according to AP.
