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Seacoast Nursing Homes Face Devastating Medicaid Cuts
29 Nov
Summary
- Seacoast nursing homes to face significant Medicaid cuts starting January 1.
- Facilities expect substantial daily per-resident funding losses.
- Increased operating costs and wage hikes strain already tight budgets.
New Hampshire nursing homes in the Seacoast area are bracing for significant Medicaid funding cuts scheduled to take effect on January 1. Despite earlier indications that nursing home care would be spared major reductions in the state budget, an impending shortfall will now impose substantial cuts. These reductions are expected to average 3% but will hit many facilities much harder, creating an untenable financial situation.
Several Seacoast facilities are slated to experience significant daily per-resident funding losses. For example, the Rockingham County Rehabilitation & Nursing Center faces an 11.72% cut, and St. Ann Rehabilitation and Nursing Center anticipates a 12.74% reduction. These cuts compound existing financial pressures, including increased operating costs for food and supplies, and substantial wage hikes for staff, which have not been fully recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic.
With New Hampshire having the nation's second-oldest population, these impending cuts raise serious concerns about the future of elder care and the potential for facility closures. The New Hampshire Health Care Association emphasizes the urgent need for policymakers to intervene and find solutions to prevent a crisis that could impact the state's most vulnerable residents, especially given the already challenging staffing and affordability issues in the region.
