Special Session Ahead - Still Time for the Quality Assurance Fee
Thursday, March 11
Although this year's legislative session is expected to end at midnight tonight, it looks like lawmakers will come back for a special session next week.
We need to keep up the fight to Save Long-Term Care and Stop the Cuts.
Our emails and phone calls are making a difference, but we need to keep up the pressure. Click here to send an email to your legislator to urge them to support the Quality Assurance Fee:
http://775nw.seiu.org/page/speakout/2010leg511
The House and Senate budget proposals include millions of dollars in cuts to home care services for the elderly and disabled, nursing homes and adult day health.
There is a simple, common sense proposal that would prevent these cuts from happening.
Money created by the Quality Assurance Fee - charged to nursing homes - would bring in federal matching funds without running up the state's deficit.
The federal government will match every dollar generated by the fee from nursing homes. The proposal will bring in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to virtually every nursing home in the state and help ensure quality care for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities.
Washington state is only one of 13 states that does not take advantage of this federal funding. The fee is supported a substantial majority of nursing homes in Washington State, as well as the Washington Health Care Association, the Residents Council of Washington, the Washington State Senior Citizens' Lobby, and nursing home workers across the state.
Click here to send an email to your legislators. Urge them to support the Quality Assurance Fee (HB 3021/SB 6751):
http://775nw.seiu.org/page/speakout/2010leg511