WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), a D.C.-based organization representing more than 14,000 nursing homes, assisted living communities and other long-term care facilities across the country, has released a survey that shows only a quarter of communities are confident they can last another year.
More than half of nursing homes and nearly half of assisted living communities say their organization is operating at a loss, the survey found. More than half of nursing homes and more than one-third of assisted living communities say that Medicaid fee-for-service is problematic in covering the actual cost to provide care to residents. Of those, more than one-quarter of both providers qualify it as a serious problem.
“Even though COVID cases in long-term care are at historic lows, providers are struggling to recover from the economic crisis the pandemic has induced,” says Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “Too many facilities are operating under shoestring budgets simply because policymakers have failed to dedicate the proper resources, and this can have devastating consequences.”
An analysis by AHCA/NCAL earlier this year estimated that the nursing home industry is expected to lose $94 billion over the course of the pandemic, and more than 1,800 facilities could close their doors.
Click here to see the executive summary of the survey.