'Powerful' nursing home lobby helped craft advantageous system, officials say

Friday, 04/04/2008  

'Powerful' nursing home lobby helped craft advantageous system, officials say

By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com

The "very powerful" nursing home industry in Tennessee - with its campaign donations and lobbyists - has significantly contributed to the state sending 98 percent of its long-term care dollars toward the facilities, state officials and home care advocates said.

When it comes to long-term care, Tennessee has largely been a state reliant upon nursing homes. Of the state's $1.2 billion long-term care program in TennCare, 98 percent goes toward the homes.

That ranks Tennessee last nationally in its funding mix of nursing homes versus home and community-based care, according to the TennCare Bureau.

As Gov. Phil Bredesen and state lawmakers look at reforming the state's long-term care system this year, they will be hoping to allow the elderly and disabled on TennCare to be able to stay in their homes longer and drive down that 98 percent figure.

But how did Tennessee get on the "trailing edge" of long term care, 10 to 20 years behind the rest of the country, as Bredesen said last week, and send so many of its tax dollars toward nursing homes?

» Read the full article on The Tennessean website