FHCA Issues Statement as Lawmakers Release Health Care Budget Allocations

Reinvest in Florida's Nursing Centers and Keep Medicaid Funding Intact

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Health Care Association (FHCA), representing nearly 700 nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Florida, issued the following statement in response to the House and Senate releasing their health care funding allocations, which will inform negotiations for the FY 2021-22 state budget. While the Senate holds nursing centers harmless in its proposed budget, the House budget proposes to reduce Medicaid funding to nursing home care by 2%, which amounts to an $80 million cut for nursing homes on an annual basis.

The statement is attributable to Emmett Reed, Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Health Care Association.

"For more than a year, Florida's nursing centers have been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the investments they made to keep residents and staff safe and protected have put many on the brink of an economic crisis. Federal funding from the CARES Act has already been depleted to cover increased costs for staff, including heroes pay and overtime, along with necessary infection control supplies and personal protective equipment. And while vaccines continue to be administered in our care centers, the threat of this virus is not yet over – and our providers continue to feel ongoing financial pressures related to precautionary measures and decreased census.

As legislators head into budget negotiations, they have an opportunity to reinvest in our nursing centers and ensure that we have the funding needed to strengthen our workforce, clinical services and infrastructure so we can continue to improve residents' quality of life. We understand that there are tough decisions to be made, but nursing center residents need our state leaders to continue making them a priority. We urge legislators to make the right decision – protect the health and well-being of our

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2021

PRESS CONTACT
Kristen Knapp, APR
850-510-4389 or kknapp@fhca.org