Our seniors cannot afford cuts to Medicaid

Across Illinois, elderly adults from all walks of life are receiving the care they need in skilled nursing homes. These homes provide around the clock care from trained staff, healthy meals, social opportunities and, most importantly, a safe place to live near loved ones. For 65,000 Illinoisans, this care is only possible because of Medicaid.

For every three residents in a nursing home in Illinois, two are covered by Medicaid. For decades, members of both political parties have agreed that we have a responsibility to care for our seniors. But as the White House and Republicans in Congress ready dramatic cuts to Medicaid, it is the seniors we care for in nursing homes who would pay the highest price.

For me, this is more than politics — it's my life's work. As the administrator of ALIYA in Glenwood, I work with a team that provides quality care to 116 residents every hour of every day. We're responsible for their medical care, meals, social activity and companionship. We keep their families up to date on their care and work together to make sure our residents have robust support, no matter where they come from or what brought them to us. Of our 116 residents, 97 are on Medicaid.

Here’s what cuts will mean for nursing home residents in my home and in homes across Illinois. Instead of spending their later years close to loved ones, seniors will need to travel farther and farther to get the care they need, particularly in rural communities where there are already gaps. Instead of receiving 24/7 support from trained staff, more seniors will be left at home in unsafe conditions, unable to care for themselves. Instead of being around people their own age, the epidemic of senior loneliness and social isolation will only increase.

Slashing Medicaid doesn’t just burden our seniors; it hurts their families as well. Without Medicaid coverage for nursing homes, more families will have to make painful decisions about how to care for their loved ones. This will force children to quit their jobs to take on caregiving responsibilities for their parents, or families to choose between basic household necessities or the cost of getting their elderly relative the care they need.

For our nursing home ecosystem as a whole, this will be nothing short of catastrophic. Already, homes across the state are struggling under the weight of rising costs on everything from food to utilities and insurance. Healthcare workers are stretched thin, and the entire healthcare industry is facing a staffing crisis. In recent years alone, 31 homes have closed their doors.

With cuts to Medicaid, many more homes would be forced to shutter with dramatic reverberations for our communities. Skilled nursing homes in Illinois employ 120,000 people, contributing to local economies and keeping skilled staff in the community. The loss of these homes would mean damaging our local economies and driving more skilled staff out of the healthcare industry at a time when they are desperately needed.

Across religions, philosophies and cultures, the virtue of caring for our elders is ever-present. Those who came before us and eased our path forward through the world deserve dignity and respect in their later years. There is no argument there. The rubber meets the road when it comes time to pay for it.

The White House and leaders in Congress have the power to cut Medicaid, and they may very well do so. But they should know that they would be walking away from their responsibilities to our seniors. There is no way around the damage this would do to their care. We believe our seniors deserve better and we hope our leaders in Washington will stand with us.

• Angela Noland is administrator of ALIYA of Glenwood, a skilled nursing facility in Chicago's South suburbs.”