Medicaid cuts threaten nursing home jobs

Budget cuts to social service programs at the state and federal levels will undoubtedly affect staffing at nursing homes. All states face shortfalls in programs dependent on reimbursement from Medicaid. But the State of Illinois, where nursing homes are the 10^thlargest employer in the state, has been particularly active in voicing opposition to the cuts.

There are 100,000 nursing home workers in Illinois and according to Pat Comstock, executive director of Health Care Council of Illinois, 70 cents of every dollar spent by nursing homes in that state goes to staff wages. Cuts to Medicaid will almost certainly result in job losses for nursing home workers.

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