ST. PAUL – House Democrats approved a bill Tuesday which Rep. Ben Davis, R-Mission Township, said ignores a long-term care crisis in our state by severely underfunding this portion of the state budget.
Davis 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.
“Not long ago, both sides of the aisle would have jumped at the idea of fully funding nursing homes,” Davis said. “Today, that concept doesn’t seem to get the attention of the Democrats’ special interest groups so it’s off the table. This gives us further proof the Democrat party is more interested in sending political paybacks to its radical base than doing what’s right for Minnesotans. The fact Minnesota’s House majority proposes sending state spending into orbit but also is unwilling to adequately support our seniors and the people who care for them is disgraceful.”
Meanwhile, Davis 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.
Davis 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.
Davis 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 best we can say right now is thank goodness this bill is headed to a conference committee where there’s still a glimmer of hope the bill will be improved before it is considered for final passage,” Davis said. “This is the time when it’s most important to make sure legislators know where we stand on this issue so a just outcome can be achieved.”
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