ABOUT
Keep Long-Term Care Local is about ensuring Iowans have access to long-term care in their local communities when they need it by providing adequate Medicaid funding for nursing facility care.
​
More than one in two Iowans in nursing facilities rely on Medicaid funding for the cost of their care. These individuals have advanced care needs and require 24/7 skilled nursing care.
​
It costs $97,133 on average each year to provide care for a single nursing home resident; however, current Medicaid funding rates provide for $78,004 (or 80%) of those costs. This current reimbursement rate is not sustainable, especially in the current inflationary economic environment, and in the past year alone 17 Iowa nursing facilities have closed, the highest number ever in a single year. We will see more skilled nursing facilities closures in Iowa if we do not act now.
​
The good news is we have an opportunity to act.
We are currently in a state legislative session during which Medicaid nursing facility rates can be rebased by the Iowa Legislature to adjust for inflation. The Iowa Legislature can help keep long-term care local by prioritizing Medicaid funding for skilled nursing facility care this legislative session.
​
​
BACKGROUND
Read more below to learn more about Iowa nursing home rebasing and Home Health & Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)
What is nursing home rebasing?
Rebasing is the process of adjusting nursing facility rates to use more current cost data. The cost data is submitted annually by each nursing facility to the Department of Health and Human Services, reviewed for accuracy and is then used to calculate each facility’s specific rate. Rebasing occurs on a two-year cycle using costs from the previous year (e.g., 2023 is a rebasing year and 2022 provider costs will be used to determine rates).
Home Health & Home and Community Based Services
The demand for home health services continues to grow across Iowa as patients express a heightened preference to receive care in their own home for as long as their medical needs safely allow. The increase in demand is promising as services provided through home health care are not only beneficial for those wishing to age in place, but also cost-effective due to low overhead expenses.