Arizona long-term care providers are proposing a bill to increase the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rate, an urgent move they say is needed to dent a shortfall projected at more than $80 million.
“The last time the Arizona Legislature increased reimbursement for the Medicaid program was back in 2022. They allocated approximately $24 million at that time, and we were facing just a $40 million shortfall,” David Voepel, CEO of the Arizona Health Care Association, told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Tuesday. “Now, that shortfall is up to over $80 million.”
He said that the state’s current Medicaid skilled nursing pay rates are $32.57 “behind” per patient day. Given a typical patient mix in a 100-resident population, that would lead to a facility losing about $2,000 per day, an untenable situation…