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    Release Budget Proposal 2025 LTCI

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    Mike Maybay
    LTCI News Release - Walz Budget

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Release Budget Proposal 2025 LTCI

    Uploaded by

    Mike Maybay
    105 views2 pages
    LTCI News Release - Walz Budget

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    LTCI News Release - Walz Budget

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    105 views2 pages

    Release Budget Proposal 2025 LTCI

    Uploaded by

    Mike Maybay
    LTCI News Release - Walz Budget

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE​

    January 16, 2025

    Walz Administration’s Budget Proposal Cuts Critical Support for


    Long-Term Care as Access for Seniors Dwindles
    Governor Walz’s budget proposal actively hurts Minnesota’s seniors, who have earned their
    right to care.
    ST. PAUL, MINN. – The biennial budget proposed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz cuts
    critically needed assistance for Minnesota’s long-term care community, Minnesota’s seniors, and
    the incredible workforce who care for our aging population. Today’s proposal is nothing short of
    a slap in the face to Minnesota’s seniors, who are already facing a crisis in diminished access -
    particularly in rural Minnesota1. This budget leads us to conclude that the Governor does not
    consider Minnesota’s seniors a priority.

    Despite the Governor’s own recent admission that our state is aging and more Minnesotans are
    in need of services, his budget does not just leave our seniors and their caregivers out in the
    cold - it actively hurts their day to day lives. Under the proposal, nursing facilities would see a
    minimum 2% gap between the expenses they have already paid and what Minnesota will
    reimburse, effectively cutting payments to providers. This begs the question: Does a budget cut
    for long-term care services demonstrate fiscal responsibility when demand for said services is
    set to skyrocket?

    The Long-Term Care Imperative recognizes that balancing the budget is more difficult now than
    in previous years, when lawmakers faced a significant budget surplus. But what has not
    changed is the crisis of care impacting thousands of Minnesota seniors and their families.
    50,000 Minnesotans will turn 80 in the next five years, yet one third of nursing home beds have
    disappeared from rural Minnesota since 20052, and there are approximately 17,000 unfilled care
    positions among the long-term care providers that remain open.

    This budget comes on the heels of the enactment of two new Administration mandates imposing
    over $150 million in costs to Minnesota nursing homes, residents and their families. In addition
    to this gross oversight, the Administration is proposing thousands of dollars per year in new fees
    to Minnesota’s Assisted Living community.

    77% of Minnesotans agree that we are not ready for the aging boom and this budget
    reinforces that belief. This is a disappointing step backward for our seniors and their
    caregivers. It is time for Governor Walz to sound the alarm on the crisis in long-term

    1
    Center for Rural Policy and Development - The Declining Capacity of Nursing Facility Care in Rural
    Minnesota, Dec. 2024
    2
    Center for Rural Policy and Development - The Declining Capacity of Nursing Facility Care in Rural
    Minnesota, Dec. 2024
    care, admit the state’s shortcomings and include additional funding support in his
    administration’s biennial budget. As lawmakers prepare for the 2025 legislative session,
    we encourage them to prioritize and protect state programs that provide financial
    assistance to seniors seeking long-term care services.

    We look forward to working with lawmakers and our partners to find these solutions for
    Minnesota’s seniors.

    ###

    The Long-Term Care Imperative is a collaboration of LeadingAge Minnesota and Care Providers
    of Minnesota, two of the state’s largest long-term care associations. The Long-Term Care
    Imperative is committed to advancing a shared vision and future for older adult housing, health
    care and supportive services.

    CONTACT:

    Ben Hansen​
    LeadingAge Minnesota​
    651-659-1443​
    bhansen@leadingagemn.org

    Lisa Foss Olson​


    Care Providers of Minnesota​
    lolson@careproviders.org ​
    952-851-2483

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