KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM

“A non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of the “Forgotten Kentuckians”

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NEWSLETTER

January 19, 2008

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET THESE BILLS PASSED

The 2008 edition of the Kentucky General Assembly and three bills on nursing home reform already have been introduced.  You can be a big help in getting these bills passed:

 HOUSE BILL 109, introduced by Rep. Carl Rollins II, D-Midway.   This is our minimum staffing bill that would set a safety net in every nursing home to protect residents from harm and abuse.  It would make the nursing homes hire sufficient front-line nurses’ aides and CNAs to help keep residents safe and comfortable.  Many nursing homes do not have enough of these front-line caregivers.  This legislation would take care of that.  The legislation also allows the nursing home to hire additional staff over and above the minimum if the acuity of the residents demands.    Click here to read this bill.

HOUSE BILL 108, also introduced by Rep. Rollins.  This legislation would increase the monetary fines on nursing homes and triple any fines for problems related to insufficient front-line staffing.  Money always gets the attention of nursing home operators; and this legislation sets fines that would do just that.  Click here to read this bill.

HOUSE BILL 222, introduced by Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville.  This is a wonderful bill that sheds public light on the enforcement of nursing home regulations.  It would authorize sending news releases to the local media  about problems found by state inspectors in nursing homes.  It would put the results of inspections on the Web site of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.  It would even have reports sent to newspapers with the names of all the nursing homes that had no problems in the past three months.  Click here to read the bill.

LOOK, STEVE, NO MORE MONEY NEEDED ON THESE...

The nursing home industry always comes up with excuses on why they cannot do things that everyone else knows would help their residents.  On HB 109 they will tell legislators that they do not have the money to pay for more front-line caregivers.

Even now they are spreading rumors about the staffing bill that are not true. 

That’s wrong.

Nursing homes were given the necessary funding in 2004 by the legislature.  They told gullible legislators that they would provide more quality service if the legislature increased a provider tax.  The thing about this provider tax is that the nursing homes get $4 back for every $1 they put in.  Pretty good deal, huh?  It goes into the Medicaid reimbursement nursing homes get.  The legislature passed the increased tax just the way the nursing home lobbyists wanted it.  The increased reimbursement brought their Medicaid reimbursements up to 100 percent of a formula that was set to guarantee quality care.  This formula even suggests minimum staffing standards.  But few if any nursing homes used their newly-gained windfall of money to hire more front-line caregivers.  Or as one nursing home ombudsman said, “You can find most of the windfall in those fancy cars the owners park in front of their facilities.”

Gov. Steve Beshear, therefore, need not worry that his support of HB 109 will cause any more financial pain to the state.  The money is already there, guv.

$151 MILLION IS NOT PETTY CASH

Nursing homes in Kentucky have gotten more than $151 million in extra Medicaid reimbursement since they snuck through the provider tax increase.  In the 2004 state fiscal year, the reimbursement was $593,649,490.   At the end of the SFY 2007 that reimbursement had jumped to $745,047,499.  That increase of more than $151 million would hire a lot of front-line caregivers all across the state.  That’s not petty cash the industry is working with.

HOW’D YOU LIKE A 24% RAISE??

That more than $151 million increase in Medicaid reimbursement from the state and feds from 2004 to 2007 is a whopping 24 percent increase.   We would all like a raise like that.  The nursing homes indeed got one, but only the owners, not the residents, got to enjoy it.

C’MON, TOM, CALL ‘EM UP

Tom Burch, D-Louisville, is a senior legislator in Frankfort and chair of a committee important to our cause – the House Health & Welfare Committee.  All three of our bills are in his committee.  But Mr. Burch has the power to let them sit, kill ‘em in effect.  We want Mr. Burch to call out HB 108, HB 109, and HB 222 for a vote and send them to the full House for approval.  Mr. Burch has been supportive of nursing home reform in the past, so we do not want him to change now.  If he and his committee approve these bills, they would go to a vote on the House floor where leaders like Rep. Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, should approve them.   Then they would go to the Health & Welfare committee of the Senate ruled over by Julie Denton, R-Louisville.  Surely Ms. Denton will also move our bills out for a favorable vote in her committee.  Then the bills go to the governor, and we know what he will do with them !  Yea !!

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Find out who your state representative and senator are.  Call them on the phone at their office in Frankfort, or (best) visit them in person and tell them about our three bills, and ask them to vote for the bills and be a co-sponsor.   The number to call to leave a message for  your legislator in Frankfort is 1-800-372-7181.  If you want to talk to your legislator, or make an appointment to see him/her, call 1-502-564-8100.

THANKS, FRIENDS

These are our supporters who answered our call during the Holidays to help our organization by sending us  a donation:

(In no particular order) Jean Keating, Lexington; Patricia A. Adkins, Owenton; Tom Kring, Lexington; Wanda Delaplane, Lexington ;Carmen Ruth, Lexington; John W. McCord, Jr., Lexington; Diane Parrish, Lexington; Harry S. Rice, Berea; Betty Cassity, Nicholasville; Nell Ritzheimer, Hopkinsville;  Charles D. Auvenshine, Lexington; Driscoll & Associates, P.S.C., Louisville.

YOUR DOLLARS HELP

This Newsletter is published by Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, a non-profit organization comprised of volunteers working to improve the lives of the 23,000 "Forgotten Kentuckians" destined to live out their lives at the mercy of nursing homes.  If you would like to assist in our charitable work by helping underwrite expenses of conducting educational seminars, lobbying for residents' rights in the State Legislature, or publishing informative materials, you may send your contribution to Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, 1530 Nicholasville Rd., Lexington KY 40503.  Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.  To volunteer, write to the same address or e-mail KyNursingHomeReform@yahoo.com.  Thank you.

THAT’S IT FOR THIS TIME, BUT DON’T FORGET….
MORE THAN 23,000 PEOPLE IN NURSING HOMES IN KENTUCKY NEED US. THEY ARE KENTUCKY’S “FORGOTTEN PEOPLE.”


BERNIE VONDERHEIDE
KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM
E-mail:          KyNursingHomeReform@yahoo.com
Web Site:     http://www.KyNursingHomeReform.org
Telephone:   (859) 312-5617
 

P.S.

A guy is 86 years old and loves to fish.

He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, "Pick me up."

He looked around and couldn't see any one. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again,

"Pick me up." He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The man said, "Are you talking to me?"

The frog said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up.

“Then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.

“I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because you will have me as your bride."

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket.

Then the frog said, "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said?

I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride."

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said,

"Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog." 
                                                              

            -- from Barbara Vonderheide