“Boren-like solution needed nationwide to address Medicaid shortfalls, expert says,” by Danielle Brown, McKnight’s LTC

 

Quote:

“The coronavirus pandemic has put a glaring spotlight on the cost of delivering quality care at nursing homes and how much states are willing to pay for it, and the only true solution would be to fund facilities at a rate commensurate to the oversight regulations in place, according to one top provider executive. … The Boren Amendment, which was in place from 1980 to 1997, required that Medicaid nursing home rates be reasonable and adequate to meet the costs incurred by facilities in order to provide care in services in line with state and federal regulations. State Medicaid directors strongly opposed the rule and it was later repealed under the federal Balanced Budget Act of 1997.”

 

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

You get what you pay for and Medicaid pays for “low cost care of uncertain quality.” Once upon a time, federal law required adequate Medicaid reimbursement, but that ended in 1997. We’re living with the consequences of demanding “Ritz Carlton care and Motel 6 rates.” Those quotes are from interviews I conducted in state-level studies over the years. Find the reports here.