Hawaii lawmakers sponsor bill to increase Medicare payments for skilled nursing homes due to 'high cost-of-living expenses'

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Nursing
Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele introduced legislation to provide fair Medicare payments for skilled nursing facilities in Hawaii and Alaska. | stock photo

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Rep. Kaialiʻi Kahele (D-Hilo)  have legislation in both houses of Congress to improve Medicare payments for skilled nursing facilities in Hawaii and Alaska.

It's called the The Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act of 2021, and it factors in the higher cost of living in Hawaii and Alaska.

"Skilled  nursing facilities in Hawaii and Alaska face unfair barriers due to high cost-of-living expenses at no fault of their own," Kahele said in a Sept. 21 Facebook post. "Today, Sen. Brian Schatz and I introduced legislation to fix that — ensuring they are adequately funded to support quality care." 

Hospitals and certain types of health care facilities in Hawaii and Alaska already receive cost-of-living adjustments under Medicare to pay for higher rent and food, but skilled nursing homes don't, according to Kahele's website.

“Nursing  homes are on the front lines of this pandemic and need all the support they can get to care for our most vulnerable residents,” Schatz said, according to Kahele's website. “Our bill fixes the Medicare reimbursement rates so that Hawaii nursing homes get their fair share of federal dollars and have the resources to continue to provide high-quality care.”

Kahele pointed out that Hawaii and Alaska are among the states with the highest cost of living.

"As noncontiguous states, we face access to health care challenges that are uniquely our own," Kahele said on his website. "The Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act of 2021 ensures that our skilled nursing facilities are adequately funded, their staff are equitably paid and we support access to quality care. This commonsense legislation is vital to providing the best care possible to our kūpuna (grandparents and elders) and most vulnerable community members.”

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) are cosponsors of the bill.