My Point of View by Peggy Bennett

During the past few months, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of nursing homes and assisted care facilities in Albert Lea, Wells, Hayfield and more. I love talking to our seniors and hearing them share about their lives, as well as listening to their thoughts on different issues.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea not long ago. I was so impressed when I heard the employees call their residents “our elders.” With my love for Native American history, that term brings to mind the Native Americans’ great respect for their elders. I like that, because our elders should be respected. I appreciate the wisdom and insight that they have gained from their wealth of life experiences.

Recently, I visited with a woman who lives at Knutson Place, and she shared with me her concern that so many nursing homes are closing. I understand this concern — and it’s happening a lot. My heart goes out to our elders when I hear of these closings. When it’s time to leave their homes, our grandparents and great-grandparents want to live in a place close to their families, and rightly so. However, that is becoming more and more difficult — especially for rural residents — because many nursing homes are closing.

Our nursing homes are in dire need. I took the opportunity to talk with a number of nursing home directors, employees, and residents in Albert Lea and the surrounding communities because I wanted to better understand the needs and issues for long-term care. What I have learned is very concerning to me.

Did you know that Medicaid underfunds the average daily cost of a nursing home resident by $34.44 a day? That might not seem a lot. However, multiply that amount by 90 residents and then 30 days and you have an underpayment for some nursing homes of over $90,000 a month. This is why our nursing homes resort to things like fundraisers to help make up their deficits and why many nursing homes are closing.

Our long-term care facilities are also having huge difficulties filling staff vacancies. Though their financial situation is dire, nursing home directors and staff say an equally concerning issue for them is staffing needs. They simply cannot pay enough to compete with hospitals and other health care facilities that also employ nurses and nursing assistants.

As a result, some of our local nursing homes in Albert Lea currently have eight to 10 unfilled positions. I know other communities are having the same problem. This understaffing creates hardships for both staff and residents.

With all the state funding restrictions and Medicaid underpayments, our nursing homes have been put between a rock and a hard place. The system we use to finance them is broken. It is imperative that we find a long-term solution for this problem.

The 2014 Legislature allowed a 5 percent rate increase for home and assisted care facilities. That was nice, but unfortunately it’s like putting a little Band-Aid on a huge wound. Our Legislature has chosen a piecemeal approach instead of getting to the root of the problem.

So, what is the answer? Have people pay more taxes? Our current state representative believes this is the answer. In a recent forum, she stated that she would like to see a new half-percent income tax increase for Minnesotans to pay for long-term care needs.

We can all heartily agree that a solution is needed. However, a new state tax and the inflated bureaucracy that would invariably go along with that tax is not the answer.

How about we start by prioritizing our state budget? Last year, the state Legislature wasted over $2 billion in new taxes on things like a lavish new $90 million Senate building, millions of dollars fixing MNsure for the third time and millions more funding light rail for the Twin Cities. Our current state representative stated (in the same forum) that our state does not spend any money funding light rail.

In fact, last year she voted in the Legislature to appropriate an extra $55 million for light rail in addition to the millions of dollars set aside every year from general fund subsidies. (See page 4, line 176, 181, & 182 of the spreadsheet on HF 1444.)

I think it’s time that we have a needs assessment take place for our state spending. Instead of spending billions of dollars on niceties like a new Senate building and light rail, we need to prioritize our state spending so we will have adequate funding for important needs like the care of our elders, not to mention things like education and roads and bridges.

Every year in my first-grade classroom, we have a lesson on “needs and wants.” My students learn the difference between “wants” like a Nintendo game or a piece of apple pie and “needs” like clothing and shelter.

I think many of our legislators have forgotten this lesson. They’ve chosen to fund the niceties instead of taking care of needs like our nursing homes. I’d like to pack up my first-grade lesson and bring it to St. Paul for a good review. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work!

 

Sibley Elementary School teacher Peggy Bennett is the Republican candidate in the House District 27A race.