Ehrlich on Washington column, April 11, 1999

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of April 1 1, 1999 By Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Protecting Our Nursing Home Residents For those of us who are the primary care-givers for parents and grandparents in retirement, we know that finding the most appropriate way to care for these loved ones can be challenging. Imagine if your parent, or grandparent, or even yourself, made the difficult decision to live in a nursing home only to be evicted soon after with nowhere to go. We would like to think our nation’s seniors are protected from such unfair acts as evictions from nursing homes. Unfortunately, some of elderly nursing home residents have been confronted with this very traumatizing situation. Thanks to efforts of the Republican Congress, our nation’s seniors and their families can once again have peace of mind that they will have a secure place to live and enjoy the golden years. In 1998, fifty Medicaid nursing home residents in Florida were targeted for eviction, solely because they relied on Medicaid. Although a court halted the evictions in Tampa, this was not an isolated incident. All over the country, similar discrimination against Medicaid residents has been reported.. In the search for higher profits, more nursing homes are simply withdrawing from the Medicaid program. On average, 58 nursing homes annually are saying “no” to the Medicaid program by transferring or discharging Medicaid patients. To stop this outrageous practice, the House of Representatives drafted legislation, H.R. 540, the