Friday Round-Up: Senate Prepares to Hack Away at Medicaid

Welcome to an eventful Friday in the world of skilled nursing, as both industry players and average Americans still struggle to untangle the implications of the Senate’s version of the American Health Care Act — and the Senate GOP leadership attempts to wrangle enough votes to pass the legislation by the time Congress takes off […]

It’s Official: Senate Health Plan Slashes Medicaid Deeper Than House

The U.S. Senate on Thursday released the long-awaited details of its Obamacare repeal plan, confirming rumors that it would see the House’s plan to cut Medicaid spending and raise it — potentially spelling trouble for skilled nursing operators. Medicaid remains the single largest payer for skilled nursing services in the United States, shelling out $55 billion to SNFs […]

Medicaid Changes Under Trumpcare Could Hamstring Skilled Nursing

As the Senate reportedly prepares to release its version of legislation that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a leading health care nonprofit warns that changes to the Medicaid program under the American Health Care Act could harm the skilled nursing industry. Medicaid represents the largest payer for skilled nursing services, providing $55 […]

Florida to Overhaul Skilled Nursing Medicaid Payment System by 2018

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law this week a health care bill that will bring a prospective payment system (PPS) to skilled nursing providers for Medicaid, but a statewide trade group says it has several issues with the legislation that it hopes to address before it takes full effect in 2018. Under the new law, […]

Why Sabra Bet on Skilled Nursing While Other REITs Bailed

Several publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) have backed off skilled nursing in recent months and years, but one major player recently made an eye-popping investment in the asset class. The largest health care REITs — Ventas (NYSE: VTR), Welltower (NYSE: HCN), and HCP (NYSE: HCP) — all have either spun off the majority […]

Senate’s Medicaid Plan Could Cut Deeper Than House Bill

The Senate’s version of the American Health Care Act may include an even more austere future for Medicaid spending than the House’s vision of $800 billion in cuts over the next decade. Medicaid is the largest payer for long-term care nationally, and skilled nursing providers are watching the evolving legislation closely — though it remains unclear what […]

Genesis Finalizes $53.6 Million Settlement Deal with DOJ

Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) on Friday announced the execution of a $53.6 million settlement with the United States Department of Justice over a variety of improper billing allegations. The Kennett Square, Pa.-based post-acute provider denied all of the government’s claims, which included four separate sets of allegations involving various Genesis subsidiaries. In its complaint, the DOJ […]

Trumpcare Would Kill Jobs, Swing Funding to Skilled Nursing Care

The American Health Care Act (AHCA)—the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare—would alter the way Medicaid is funded, and could influence more states to shift care back to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), according to a recent report. By switching Medicaid financing to per capita caps, which provides states with an aggregate amount of funding […]

Friday Round-Up: Key QCP/ManorCare Buyout Deadline Comes and Goes

It’s Friday afternoon, which means it’s time for a quick look back at the biggest skilled nursing headlines of the past week, and a peek into what could be on the horizon in the coming days. Skilled Nursing News brought you extensive coverage from the Post Acute Link Care Continuum Conference in our hometown of […]

Skilled Nursing Spending Rises Fastest in West, South

Spending on skilled nursing services rose the fastest in Nevada over the previous two decades, followed by multiple states in the South, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Payers in the Silver State — including Medicare, Medicaid, and private sources — shelled out $709 million for care […]

Judge to Illinois: Pay Your Medicaid Bills

The state of Illinois has been without a formal budget for almost two years, sending ripple effects through various parts of the state’s economy and public services. But now a federal judge has ordered the Prairie State to begin addressing payments due to Medicaid providers, which currently total $2 billion. U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow […]

Trumpcare Inched Forward in the Senate While Comey Dominated Headlines

While the nation stood transfixed by former FBI director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate, that same body moved closer to finding a Trumpcare bill that could satisfy the skeptics among its ranks. The under-the-radar movement was enough to prompt one Washington insider, speaking before a health care conference in Chicago on Sunday, to predict […]

AARP: Medicaid to Dry Up for Seniors Under Trumpcare

The American Health Care Act would gradually constrict skilled nursing and other health providers’ ability to care for Medicaid patients over the coming decades, especially as the proportion of Medicaid recipients aged 85 and older increases, a new report from AARP alleges. The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group’s concern stems from the AHCA’s mandate to shift […]

CDC Puts Providers on Alert for Deadly, Costly Disease

Skilled nursing facilities are a prime breeding ground for Legionnaires’ disease, and an outbreak could prove costly for the operator — both in terms of care outcomes and additional expenses — according to a recent presentation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC analyzed 2015 data related to outbreaks of the potentially […]

NPR: State Regulators Cracking Down on Involuntary SNF Discharges

The Administration for Community Living logged more than 9,000 complaints about involuntary discharges from long-term care facility residents across the country in 2015, and now lawmakers are taking notice. In particular, officials in Maryland and Illinois have begun investigating discharge rates in their states, according to a recent report from NPR. Maryland Attorney General Brian […]