Tom Harkin: “I wanted to lend my support to the colloquy between my colleagues Senators Hatch and Kennedy relative to nursing homes…”

“I wanted to lend my support to the colloquy between my colleagues Senators Hatch and Kennedy relative to nursing homes and the minimum wage. In their colloquy my colleagues note that nursing homes, many of which, particularly in rural areas like my State of Iowa, are funded primarily through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Nursing homes provide vital services to our elderly and disabled citizens and they employ many minimum wage workers who provide direct care to these residents. Therefore, this minimum wage increase, which will help these valued workers and help increase their retention, will have an impact on nursing homes costs. And that should be reflected in Medicare and Medicaid payments. It is essential that state Medicaid payments be reasonable and adequate to enable well-run facilities to meet and exceed the quality standards set by law. I thank my colleagues for raising this important issue and I appreciate the opportunity to express my agreement with their statements.”