Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 9:27 a.m.
Gov. Kenny Guinn wisely has increased the amount that state government pays to nursing homes and hospitals that treat Medicaid recipients. Nursing homes especially have been hard hit by low payment rates from the states and federal government, which share the costs of Medicaid, a program that helps provide medical care for low-income families. Guinn's directive means that the state's 37 nursing homes will receive a 7.6 percent boost (costing $6.4 million a year) and hospitals will obtain a 2.5 percent increase (costing $1.8 million a year).
Nevada has seen its share of financially struggling nursing homes. More than one-third of the 4,904 certified nursing home beds in Nevada are owned by two companies that are in bankruptcy. If nursing homes are hurt, not from bad business decisions but from lack of enough funds to cover the cost of care, then government has a responsibility to step in. Otherwise these patients are bound to suffer because nursing homes may have to impose Draconian cost-cutting measures to stay afloat. This can lead to fewer employees, who must in turn tend to more patients, which obviously will result in worse care for the elderly and disabled.
While this is the right move by Guinn, both the states and federal government must continue to ensure that they're just not writing blank checks to nursing homes and hospitals. In this instance, however, a substantive case has been made that attempts at being frugal with taxpayer dollars have become so severe that they actually have hurt the quality of patient care.
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