The Importance of Advocacy:
Each year the Missouri Legislature goes into Session where they contemplate legislation and the state budget over an almost five month stretch of time. The Missouri Legislative Session, per the constitution, starts on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of the year and concludes the first Friday following the second Monday of May. During this time the Senate and House members meet to debate various public policy ideas as well as form the budget for the following Fiscal year. JMS is an active member of the Missouri Health Care Association where they have a team dedicated to tracking these potential policies and ensuring that the Missouri budget includes an adequate reimbursement rate for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) or better known as nursing homes.
One particular year, there was a horrible cut to the rate that SNFs are reimbursed for the all-inclusive care for their residents. With the cuts, many facilities across the state were having a difficult time keeping their doors open because the reimbursement was not matching the funding needed to provide the quality care our residents need and deserve. This spurred a grassroots movement that is now known as Embrace Aging Missouri. We had over 7,000 emails sent to lawmakers portraying the need for adequate resources for our residents. Things move slow in government but we were able to restore the cuts in just two years’ time and this year we are working on ensuring every facility is getting reimbursed at the level needed to continue providing care. IF you are interested in learning more about this grassroots platform please visit embraceagingmo.org.