Massachusetts Nursing Home Bed Shortage Predicted By 2003

Nursing homes in Massachusetts will have "no extra beds" by 2003, giving families "no options" for "skilled" elder care, according to a study released April 12 by the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation. The Boston Herald reports that the study, titled "Where Will Your Mother Go?" found that the number of available beds has been declining and predicted that "dozens of financially strapped" homes will close in the next few months, with 50 shutting down by 2003 (Powell, Boston Herald, 4/13). Scott Plumb, executive director of the federation, said that the state's high labor costs and "low" Medicaid reimbursement rate for nursing homes are the "root of the problem" (Miller, AP/Boston Globe, 4/13). He added, "We have a crisis emerging that threatens to compromise the care we can give to our seniors" (Boston Herald, 4/13). The report found that last year, nursing homes in the state lost $72.2 million -- their largest single-year loss since Medicare and Medicaid were created in the 1960s. In addition, "low" wages lead to a staff turnover rate of 60% per year (AP/Boston Globe, 4/13). The Herald reports that state lawmakers, senior citizens and the nursing home industry have called for more funding to "shore up the failing industry." State Sen. Stephen Lynch (D) has proposed a bill (SB 513) that would spend $200 million over two years to increase Medicaid reimbursements, staff recruitment budgets and employee salaries (Boston Herald, 4/13).