Reply #15: Read the comments from FL nurses after this article about FL cuts. [View All]

[madfloridian]

http://orlando.injuryboard.com/nursing-home-and-elder-abuse/future-of-florida-nursing-homes-looks-bleak-due-to-state-and-federal-budget-cuts.aspx?googleid=293378

From the comments:

"Every Floridian should be aware that in 2001 1199SEIU Certified Nursing Assistants(CNAs) lobbied for and got bipartisan support to pass the 2.9 law, requiring an average of 2.9 hours of direct CNA care and 1 hour of RN/LPN care per resident per day. Underfunded until 2008, the law included tort reform and transformed care in nursing homes throughout Florida. Before the law, the average resident received about 1.6 hours of care per day. In 2010 the law was rolled back to 2.6 hours by the Florida Legislature and in the last session, in an 11th hour, back-room deal, Republican majority legislators permanently decreased the hours of care to 2.5 per day. Governor Scott signed it in to law.

So the Florida State Budget was literally balanced by depriving nursing home residents of 24 minutes of care per day- a lot when you consider how long it takes you to shower, brush your teeth and eat breakfast. What if you could not do those things without help and they just cut the help? What if you could not get to the bathroom without help and they cut the help?

Why should all of us care? As stated in the article- this means layoffs and less money spent in the Florida economy. More people looking for jobs and losing their healthcare insurance.

Cutting Medicaid is a lose-lose as the Medicaid dollars the legislators appropriate draw down matching dollars from the Federal Government. The Florida economy does not need more money sent back to the Feds that could have been spent here."