Several groups that provide care for people on Medicaid could get additional funds from the state.
A House bill would add about two million dollars for home medical care and aid to people with developmental disabilities.
Groups who provide these services say it has been years since they’ve seen any increase in wages or reimbursements from the state—and they can’t wait much longer.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Kerry Grens reports.
Nineteen ninety nine was a good year for home health care providers.
These are the people who visit patients and provide everything from laundry service to changing an IV.
In 1999, home care agencies received a significant increase in payments from Medicaid—the state and federal health insurance program for the poor.
But the generosity of ’99 has not been repeated since.
Young: When we say there’s been no increase, we mean: there’s been no increase.
Susan Young of New Hampshire’s Home Care Association says aside from an increase for one small group of clients, Medicaid payments have stayed flat even as costs have gone up.
Today patients have more complicated and expensive needs.
Young says the change in gas prices alone have fallen heavily on the state’s visiting nurse agencies.
Young: Last year—and this is consistent over about the past five or six years—home health workers drive over nine million miles a year to deliver home care services. So, needless to say, they’re frequenting those gas pumps and they feel those kinds of increases especially.
A House bill proposes increasing Medicaid reimbursements for home care by about a million dollars.
That increase comes at a critical time, because changes in the federal MEDICARE program will reduce the money going to home care agencies by about thirteen million dollars.
Linda Hotchkiss, the Executive Director of the Rochester District VNA, says even with the new state money—some patients, particularly those who require long term, intensive care, could be turned away.
Hotckkiss: If the money’s not there to pay for the care, that will be the first area that we would have to really look at as to if not stop doing it at least to have a cap: ok, we can accept this many patients, but we can’t accept all of those patients.
Hotchkiss says one thing that will not be sacrificed are her nurses’ wages.
She says competitive salaries are necessary to maintain a highly qualified staff.
The Independent Services Network has not had that luxury.
The Network provides support to people with developmental disabilities and helps them become more independent.
For the last seven years, the average starting wage of workers has been eight dollars sixty seven cents an hour.
The Network’s President, Gus Moral, says low pay has led to a fifty percent turn over rate among his employees.
Moral: Which for any business, that would be a matter of concern. In our industry, it is a matter than can begin to affect the quality and safety of the services we provide.
Moral says many leave the Network for less stressful jobs in retail or fast food.
Moral: We do have people who are out there who care and want to work in this industry, but we have to pay them what it takes to deal with a human life.
The same bill that would increase reimbursement for home care includes a twenty five cent an hour raise for personal aids to people with developmental disabilities.
The total pricetag for the state is two million dollars.
The bill has the support of Health and Human Services Commissioner.
Senator Robert Clegg, who sits on the Finance Committee, said the funds can be made available.
Clegg: The House found five million dollars to give LCHIP. If we have five million dollars to give to Land and Community Heritage, then we certainly can use that money first for the people who are at home and need healthcare.
The bill has already passed in the House.
Its next stop is the Senate Finance Committee.
SOQ
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