Massachusetts Medicaid Nursing Home Rates Are $35 Lower Than Cost

Massachusetts Medicaid nursing home rates are below cost by about $35 per person per day; nationally, Medicaid rates are $22.46 below the average nursing home costs. The state’s 420 nursing homes serve about 40,000 residents, and about 70% of residents are Medicaid beneficiaries. On average, Medicaid reimbursed nursing facilities only 85% percent of their projected allowable costs incurred on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries.

These figures were reported in the“2015 Medicaid Shortfall Report” by the Massachusetts Senior Care Association (MSCA). The report notes that the average nursing home in Massachusetts has 115 beds. The rate shortfall translates . . .