A proposal to improve nursing home care by tying increased Medicaid funding to more workers and better care was expected to face a critical vote by Illinois lawmakers this week, advocates said.
Without the changes, AARP Illinois warned, inequities in care will continue to endanger nursing home residents, especially those kept in ward-like rooms with three or more people, most common in Medicaid facilities with large Black and Latino populations. The proposal would end that practice and require greater transparency in often-hidden facility ownership.
Matt Hartman, executive director of the Illinois Health Care Association, which represents more than 500 long-term care facilities, said the proposal “emphasizes staffing and quality … while providing a solid footing for the future of the profession as a whole.” Following months of negotiations, the Pritzker administration agreed to fund an additional $500 million for nursing homes in its new budget, while the proposed change in the law could add another $200 million.