Fasano Demands Governor Lamont Call Special Session to Restore Medicaid Funding to Nursing Homes

FASANO: “Simply delaying this policy is nowhere near a solution.”

Today, Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) wrote to Governor Ned Lamont to demand that he call a special legislative session to reverse a policy contained in the Democrat budget that will result in dramatic Medicaid cuts and put nine nursing homes at risk of closure. Sen. Fasano said the Department of Social Services’ decision announced yesterday to delay the policy is nowhere near a solution, and Democrat lawmakers have been noncommittal on reversing this policy in its entirety to restore the full funding.

“Simply delaying this policy is nowhere near a solution. Lawmakers need to be called in to a special legislative session to reverse this damaging Democrat policy. I implore you to take action,” Fasano wrote.

“There are a number of Democrats who have decried the policy they voted for,” Fasano continued. “We need to know if the Democrat outrage is simply lip service or if Democrat lawmakers are serious about reversing this policy. The only way to find out is to hold a vote. Senate Republicans will vote to restore this funding. Will Democrats back up their words with actions? Or is this another hypocritical moment within the Democrat Party?

“We need our governor, as leader of the state, to take strong action and to have the courage to stand up, admit a wrong, and fix it,” wrote Fasano.

FULL LETTER BELOW.

September 13, 2019
Governor Lamont:

I am writing to demand that you call a special legislative session for the purpose of reversing a policy contained in the Fiscal Year 2020/2021 State Budget that will result in dramatic Medicaid funding reductions to many nursing homes, putting nine facilities at risk of closure.

As you are aware, this policy was first proposed by your administration early in the year in House Bill 7164 An Act Concerning the Governor’s Budget Recommendations for Human Service, which had a public hearing and was advanced by Democrats. The policy was eventually included in the budget passed by the Democrat legislature and signed into law by you. The budget counts on $5.3 million in Medicaid cuts over the next two years as a result of the policy change.

In a letter from the Department of Social Services dated September 12, 2019, your administration has stated that you will delay the implementation of this policy by one-and-a-half months after an outcry from Republican lawmakers, nursing homes, workers and the people they care for. Clearly, delaying this policy shows that you recognize it is flawed and will be harmful to many vulnerable seniors. However, as the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities has noted, delaying the policy in no way addresses the significant cut nursing homes are facing the rest of the fiscal year. This delay does not come anywhere near solving the problem.

Therefore, I am asking that you call a special session so that lawmakers can undo this policy change. Senate Republicans have already written to Democrat legislative leaders to ask for their support in reversing these harmful cuts, but we have not received any response from Democrat legislative leaders. We need our governor, as leader of the state, to take strong action and to have the courage to stand up, admit a wrong, and fix it.

There are a number of Democrats who have decried the policy they voted for. We have seen letters from rank and file Democrat lawmakers, as well as from lawmakers who had a direct hand in crafting policy to cut Medicaid funding, negatively impacting seniors. Those calls ring hollow unless you call lawmakers into a special session so that we can reverse this policy change and give nursing homes the predictability they need to operate successfully. We need to know if the Democrat outrage is simply lip service or if Democrat lawmakers are serious about reversing this policy. The only way to find out is to hold a vote. Senate Republicans will vote to restore this funding. Will Democrats back up their words with action? Or is this another hypocritical moment within the Democrat Party?

This policy disregards the serious and traumatic consequences closures would have on vulnerable nursing home residents including persons with dementia. Such closures could potentially push people into a community that does not have the proper supports. To make matters worse, the state budget passed by Democrats also reduces funding for the Connecticut Home Care Program by $7 million annually, making it that much harder for seniors to access the entry point to successful aging in place. Therefore, the overall impact of your budget both hurts those receiving care in nursing homes, and makes it harder for people displaced by potential nursing home closures to successfully age in place.

Simply delaying this policy is nowhere near a solution. Lawmakers need to be called in to a special legislative session to reverse this damaging Democrat policy. I implore you to take action.

Sincerely,
Len Fasano
Senate Republican Leader