ST. PAUL – House Democrats approved a bill Tuesday which Rep. Shane Mekeland, R-Clear Lake, said ignores a long-term care crisis in our state by severely underfunding this portion of the state budget.
Mekeland roundly criticized the House Human Services Finance omnibus package (S.F. 2934) for its lack of funding for nursing homes, which came to the floor accounting for just .01 percent of the Democrats’ $72 billion budget proposal that consumes the state’s $19 billion surplus and increases state General Fund spending by 40 percent.
“It’s amazing House Democrats were perfectly happy to approve spending $17,000 per month in rent for the governor but can’t find it within themselves to adequately support people who rely on long-term care and the people who provide these essential services,” Mekeland said. “As with so many bills we’ve seen this session, it just reeks of misplaced – or completely absent – priorities in the House majority. We, as legislators, are sent to the Capitol to do what’s right by the citizens of Minnesota but House Democrats continue to fail miserably at their job.
“The majority passed some of the world’s most radical abortion policies earlier this session, drawing questions about how they prioritize newborns. Now, they are causing more to wonder where elderly, vulnerable citizens and care workers rank by underfunding them at a time they are funneling taxpayer money to special interests left and right.”
Meanwhile, Mekeland said Minnesota is in the midst of a “silver tsunami,” with more than 1.3 million state residents aged 65 or older. As these residents age, he said, their need for care grows and it is unfortunate to see Minnesota is not keeping up with these needs.
Mekeland indicated 2,597 nursing home beds have been taken out of service in Minnesota since 2020, the equivalent of shuttering 52, 50-bed homes. The long-term care industry in Minnesota, he said, currently is operating with a worker shortage of 53,000 and that, in the month of October alone, 11,000 elderly residents were turned away from nursing homes – largely due to lack of staff.
Mekeland said the inability to fully staff our nursing homes then places added strains on hospitals, with nearly 20 percent of their bed space taken up by people who could be better served recovering in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
“The one ray of hope we have on this issue is this bill is destined for a conference committee that still could make necessary changes before we have a vote on final passage,” Mekeland said. “I’ll keep pushing for additional long-term care funding to be provided and urge area residents to do the same.”
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