Contact your state senator and tell them to fully fund the Adult Family Homes’ contract!
Follow this link to comment. You can use the talking points here to let them know why adult family homes are a critical part of our long term care system and must be funded.
On March, 21st, our State Senate put forward a draft budget. We are deeply disappointed to report that their budget does not fully fund the adult family homes’ collectively bargained contract. Upon the release of the budget, the Senate Chair of the Ways and Means Committee held a press conference in which he stated that the budget reflects efforts to protect our most vulnerable citizens by making thoughtful investments in our social safety nets. We respectfully disagree.
Adult family homes serve the highest acuity residents in any community based setting. Nearly 60% of the available AFH beds in our state are occupied by Medicaid funded residents. The rates we are paid today have not been meaningfully remodeled since 2005. Currently adult family homes receive rates as low as $50 a day. We challenge anyone to find a place to stay tonight, that will include three meals and personal care for $50. These rates are not just insulting to the selfless work of adult family home providers. They are an insult to those sick and poor enough to need Medicaid funded care.
These low rates leave many potential community based residents stuck in expensive and institutional settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Demographics suggest that the clients we serve will continue to grow in numbers, and I fear the demand will outgrow resources before new resources can be established. In many communities and for many residents, we are already there.
Adult family homes cannot continue to be expected to serve these residents without appropriate compensation. Current rates require providers to supplement the cost of care. Without the funding identified in the negotiated contract, providers will struggle to meet the wage and benefit requirements of initiative 1433. Required federal programs like community integration services will become unfunded mandates, increasing costs for providers. The contract calls out specific increases to programs that support those living with mental health challenges. Adult family homes are identified in this budget as a resource to deal with the mental health challenges our state faces, but without this funding, they will not be that resource.
Unless funding is included for the negotiated contract, we have no doubt that we will see an overall decrease in the availability of adult family homes across the state. Even with the proposed increases, one day in an AFH saves the state $100 per resident compared to a skilled nursing facility and thousands of dollars a day compared to hospitals. Those patients will still need care. Failure to fund this contract will increase barriers to community based solutions to our state’s long term care needs. we implore you, fund the Adult Family Home Council’s collectively bargained agreement.
One Response
Insulting is not strong enough to discribe the complete disregard we as providers are shown by our elected legislators. In truth the actual rate needed to secure providers with the ability to effectively sustain necisary care and life Quality for those vulnerable individuals we are charged with the duty of caring for is at the minimum of $100 a day. The hard fact is any amount less then that is inadequate. Providers who take on the duty of a resident for less then that amount are limited and actually put themselves, their business, team members and most importantly the very residents they care for in jeopardy.
With all the popular talking points about how we must protect ” our vulnerable” citizens our legislators show that those are just words. They will remain just words until the necessary action is put forth to back those words. I will end with this those words and the Mission of actually “protecting our vulnerable citizens” are carried out day and night by AFH and the amazing care giving teams that make them the best option for all who find themselves in need of the safe loving homes we as providers offer.
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