News

New Polling Data Shows Overwhelming Support for Investment in Older Adults

On July 14, 2021 by Libbie Chapuran

Americans strongly back more significant investments in services to support older adults, finds a new LeadingAge poll of U.S. adults.

American families face a crisis as millions of us are growing older without access to affordable care and the support we need.

Lawmakers Wrap Up Work on State Budget

On July 7, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

With a final push and some surprise twists, Minnesota lawmakers dodged the threat of state agency and services shutdowns, just barely meeting their deadline to pass a $52 billion state budget. Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. was lawmakers' deadline to get all 13 of their state budget bills through both chambers of the Legislature and to Governor Walz's desk for his signature. Governor Walz has signed the 12 budget bills and the tax bill, averting the potential disaster of state agency shutdown.

HHS Budget Reflects Key LTC Imperative Priorities

On June 30, 2021 by Jeff Bostic

The Minnesota State Legislature has passed the Health and Human Services (HHS) budget bill for the next biennium, and the bill has been signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz. The passage of this legislation, a bill that lawmakers heavily debated, is a critical step in finalizing a state budget before the new fiscal year on July 1. Since the bill is now law, there will be no shutdown of health and human services programs even if lawmakers fail to agree in other budget areas.

Hero Pay Legislation Advances in Tax Bill

On June 30, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

A top legislative priority for LeadingAge Minnesota this year has been to secure hero pay bonuses to employees in senior care settings. Last week, legislative leaders announced an agreement to set aside some funding for hero pay bonuses. But until recently, we had few details. This weekend, lawmakers adopted an amendment that laid out a process to finalize hero pay bonuses this summer.

At the Capitol: Hero Pay Bonuses for LTC Workers Included in Budget Deal

On June 23, 2021 by Matt Steele

As lawmakers work to complete their work to agree upon a two-year budget before July 1, legislative leaders announced an agreement to allocate $250 million for Hero Pay bonuses for frontline workers during the pandemic.

At the Capitol: Minnesota Lawmakers Return for Special Session

On June 16, 2021 by Matt Steele

On Monday, June 14, Governor Walz called a special session to finalize and pass a two-year state budget. At the outset of the special session, only a few committees had publicly announced their joint agreements with the remaining budget areas having until June 30 to finalize unresolved details to avoid a state government shutdown. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week:

DHS to Begin Issuing Medicaid Termination Letters due to Potential for Government Shutdown

On June 16, 2021 by Jeff Bostic

In the event of a state government shutdown, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) will cease payments to providers of Medicaid services. Per the statutory obligation, DHS will begin to inform Medicaid providers, including aging services providers who serve Medicaid clients, via letters that will be sent out as early as this week.

At the Capitol: Minnesota Lawmakers Prepare to Return for Special Session

On June 9, 2021 by Matt Steele

With Governor Walz expected to call a special session on Monday, lawmakers worked this past week, mostly behind closed doors, to iron out differences in the two-year budget. By Monday, June 7, only three committees--Commerce and Energy, Legacy, and Higher Education--had publicly announced their joint budget agreements. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week:

At the Capitol: First Deadline Passes and Upcoming Special Session

On June 2, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers mainly met in private to debate the specific spending details for each budget area. The first of two self-imposed deadlines passed on Friday, May 28, without any public notice of the finalized details of the budget. The second deadline, June 4, is quickly approaching; lawmakers to agree on what policy provisions will be included in the final deal when Governor Walz calls a special session on June 14. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week:

At the Capitol: Deadlines loom for budget details and the upcoming special session

On May 26, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers are approaching a May 28, self-imposed deadline to decide how to allocate the money announced in the recent budget deal by legislative leaders last Monday. Throughout the week, only one legislative committee met publicly. There have yet to be any specific spending details released by budget area. With a looming special session presumed to happen on or before June 14, here is what you need to know about what is happening at the capitol this week.

Minnesota Legislative Session Ends with Unfinished Business

On May 19, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

The Minnesota Legislature has adjourned the 2021 regular session, hours before the constitutionally required midnight adjournment, without passing a biennial budget. Lawmakers will need a special session to finish the job. For senior care providers, there are several key priorities left unresolved at this time. We are hopeful that legislators will address these in the special session.

At the Capitol: With Days Until Session Adjourns, Most Legislative Work Remains Unfinished

On May 12, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers enter the final stretch of the legislative session before adjourning on May 17 at midnight, regardless of the status of the budget. Most at the Capitol view the Monday deadline as irrelevant given several circumstances that almost guarantee that lawmakers will leave their work unfinished at the end of their constitutionally allotted time.

At the Capitol: The Legislature Begins Conference Committees as the End of Session Nears

On May 5, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers are starting to reconcile the differences in significant budget bills passed off the House and Senate floors in conference committees. Conference committees mark one of the final steps in the budget-making process before the bills are sent to the Governor for his approval. We expect our most important issues to be debated in conference committees in the upcoming days.

LTC Imperative Urges Lawmakers to Address Urgent Assisted Living Issues

On May 5, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

Even as assisted living licensure applications opened last week and state legislators entered their final weeks of the legislative session, there continue to be substantive and technical issues with the assisted living licensure law, jeopardizing the access to needed assisted living services for Minnesota seniors. 

At the Capitol: The Legislature Debates the Health and Human Services Budget Proposals

On April 28, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers are debating the Health and Human Services (HHS) omnibus budget bills on the House and Senate floor. The proposals contain most of the policy priorities affecting the senior services sector. Here is what you need to know about each version of the bills and what the next few weeks ahead look like as we approach the end of the legislative session:

At the Capitol: The Legislature Begins Passing Budget Bills

On April 14, 2021 by Matt Steele

This week, lawmakers began passing budget bills off the House and Senate floors. This step establishes starting positions for the House, Senate and Governor as they enter negotiations to reach a final budget deal by May 17. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the Capitol:

House Includes Proposed Changes to Assisted Living Licensure Laws

On April 7, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

As part of the Minnesota Legislature's budget process, the House of Representatives has included in its Health and Human Services (HHS) omnibus budget bills critical changes to the assisted living licensure law that could significantly disrupt implementation.

Senior Care Proposals Unveiled in House and Senate Budget Bills

On April 7, 2021 by Kari Thurlow

Lawmakers resumed legislative activity this week following a one-week break to observe the Easter and Passover holidays. It is a pivotal week as lawmakers unveil budget bills and will need to pass bills out to their respective committees by Friday. Next week, we expect lawmakers will begin to pass these budget bills off the House and Senate floors, which will set up three-way budget negotiations between the House, Senate and Governor as they attempt to complete their work to pass a balanced budget by May 17.

Draft Bill Circulated on Housing COVID-19 Relief

On March 31, 2021 by Bobbie Guidry

Third Round of Applications for HUD COVID Supplemental Payments Expected

The House Committee on Financial Services is circulating a discussion draft of the Supporting Seniors and Tenants in Subsidized Housing Act. The draft bill is a version of 2020’s Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act introduced in the House (as HR 6873) and Senate (as S 4177). The draft bill is sponsored by Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), the chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance.

Senate Votes to Extend Sequestration Suspension

On March 31, 2021 by Jeff Bostic

Last Thursday, the US Senate voted to extend the suspension of the 2% sequestration cut for all Medicare services through the end of 2021. Congress initiated sequestration in 2011 to limit Medicare costs by reducing all payments by 2%. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sequestration was suspended for a year by Congress last April 1. The coming expiration of that suspension led to the Congressional activity to extend it further.