Those who are will find it harder to compete for space with Medicare patients and private-pay patients. Many state governors like the idea of block grants. Block grants could spell the end of rules that keep spouses from becoming impoverished when their partners enter a nursing home. These provisions annoy states because nursing-home owners have won a number of lawsuits forcing states to increase reimbursement rates. If states allow Medicaid reimbursement to sink too low, nursing homes will either turn away Medicaid residents or allow the quality of care, already none too high, to deteriorate more.
States object to the mandate that standards be set for the quality of care in nursing homes.
The nursing-home reform law passed in 1987 requires facilities, among other things, to assess new residents and devise care plans that help them achieve some quality to their lives. It limits the use of restraints. While you should be able to locate one of the right nursing homes with the help of the Ratings in CR's report on how to choose a nursing homes, that's only half the problem. Here are things to consider, whether planning for your own future or helping a parent make plans. Don't depend on Medicare alone.