A compromise moves a nursing home reform bill easily through the House and back to the Senate, where it is expected to be received favorably. The House sponsor agreed to remove a provision calling for increased Medicaid reimbursement to nursing homes, totalling as much as $17-Million a year. Critics say that would have killed the bill in this tight budget year. Still, the compromise doesn’t sit well with Representative Rod Jetton of Marble Hill who says falling Medicaid reimbursement rates have hurt the ability of nursing homes to attract quality workers. The House sends the Senate a bill much like the one it approved earlier. There is one big difference. The House stripped provisions that would have allowed video-tapes of residents to be admitted in court. The bill cracks down on poor nursing homes with stiff fines for endangering the lives of residents and for violating state codes.
