A number of nursing homes across the country are shutting their doors, a combination of COVID-19 costs, difficulty finding employees, and costs rising faster than payments from Medicare and Medicaid/MediCal. One home told USA Today that they were losing more than $100 a day for every resident covered by Medicaid, which represented 95% of its residents, and they were forced to close. Sadly, this is forcing many seniors to relocate and if you are on MediCal, it will be tough to find an open spot. “It’s a result of the values of our society—we just don’t value taking care of old, poor people,†said Danny Williams, the owner of the home that was forced to close. According to an analysis of federal data by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, more than 300 homes have closed or are in the process of winding down.
