There has been a recent senior care reform proposal in the state of Minnesota (originally from H.F. 316) in the omnibus Health and Human Services bill, spending nearly $140 million to transform senior care. Our expectations from our government officials should be that all seniors have access to the care that they need. There will be 60,000 more people turning 65 this year, next year and every year through at least 2030. Now is the time to transform how we care for aging Minnesotans. We set out to reform a broken system that does not meet today’s needs or tomorrow’s demand for quality care for seniors, and we remain committed to reform.

Today’s funding mechanisms for long-term care do not align with payments for today’s cost of care. We need to take the broken payment system that is failing seniors and align it with what is needed today and in the future to meet the rising need for care that seniors deserve and families expect. With a $2 billion state surplus, it’s time to ensure seniors have access to quality care from experienced caregivers in their own communities and near their families.  Please join me in encouraging Peggy Bennett and Dan Sparks in supporting this senior care proposal.

 

Katie Davis 

campus administrator

Good Samaritan Society-Albert Lea