For Immediate Release 
October 21, 2002

Legislative Candidates Discuss $110 Million Medicaid Funding Reduction
to Illinois Nursing Home Residents

(ELGIN) – State legislative candidates are meeting with dozens of health care employees and family members from northwest suburban Illinois to discuss the $110 million budget reduction in Medicaid funding for Illinois nursing home residents. This candidate forum is taking place on Tuesday, October 22^nd at 6:30 p.m at Tower Hill Nursing Home, 759 Kane Street (west off of Route 31) in South Elgin.

Speaking at this candidate forum will be Senator Steve Rauschenberger, R-22, of Elgin; Representative Doug Hoeft, R-43, of Elgin; Senate candidate Bob Steffen, D-22, from Elgin and Representative candidate Jesse Macro, D-44, from Schaumburg.

The candidates will sign a large "Commitment to Care" pledge banner calling for a restoration of Medicaid funding cut to Illinois nursing home residents. So far, over 150 state legislative candidates have signed a pledge vowing to restore Medicaid funding during the next legislative session. In addition, all of the forum participants will discuss the future of nursing home care in Illinois.

The state legislature ‘s $110 million budget reduction in Medicaid funding became effective July 1^st of this year. Over two-thirds of the total state nursing home population receives Medicaid. This Medicaid cut will impact the quality of care provided to over 50,000 Illinois citizens.

As 79 percent of all nursing home costs are labor-related, the $110 million cut to Medicaid will inevitably lead to thousands of nursing home staff losing their jobs, as Illinois nursing homes struggle to stay afloat. The Medicaid cut is the equivalent of 5,500 caregiver salaries. With fewer staff to provide care, the health and well-being of the state’s nursing home residents are at risk.

Illinois is one of the ten largest economies in the country. Yet, with this cut to Medicaid, Illinois now ranks as 49^th lowest in the nation for funding to nursing home residents, 27 percent below the national average.

"State legislators must recognize that a priority of government is help those citizens who cannot help themselves," said Terrence Sullivan, executive director of the Illinois Council on Long Term Care. "This candidate forum will provide staff, family and community members the opportunity to speak about the importance of fair funding for nursing home residents."

Nursing home employees are taking care of more complex and needy patients than ten years ago. With more technology and more staff, the cost of caring for nursing home residents has risen in the past nine years twice as fast as what the state pays through Medicaid. In those nine years, costs of caring for residents have risen 61 percent while Medicaid rates have gone up only 31 percent. That kind of cost pressure affects jobs, wages, benefits and care for residents.

"The state budget should not be balanced on the backs of the frail and elderly nursing home residents of Illinois," said Ronald Walski, President of the Service Employees International Union, Local 4. "These nursing home residents represent our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, people who have worked all of their lives to build our families, our neighborhoods and our country. The state has the moral obligation to make good on its social promise to take care of these individuals. By cutting $110 million to Medicaid, the state is turning its back on its most frail and vulnerable citizens."

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