The economy in Virginia is much like it is in the rest of the U.S….bad! Now, Virginia is considering reducing Medicaid benefits to the poor and elderly to help balance its budget and that’s real bad!
Medicaid, funded by the state and federal government, pays for over one-half of the nursing home bills in the U.S. But getting Medicaid benefits is very difficult in Virginia. My state ranks 48th in the country in per capita Medicaid spending and has some of the nation’s tightest eligibility requirements.
What does all of this mean to those residing in Virginia’s nursing homes? It means reduced staffing and reduced medical care. It means more trips to the emergency room to deal with problems that could have been dealt with weeks before but went undisclosed or undiagnosed due to the reduction in staff. Face it…the owners of long term care facilities are going to continue to make money in these difficult economic times. Only the elderly will suffer!