Pay rise coming for Mass. Nursing Home Aides? They now earn average $13/hour.

Governor Baker's proposed budget has an extra $30 million intended to provide for higher pay among nursing home aides.  These staff members now average $13/hour in the Commonwealth.  This is a positive development because it shows that the MassHealth/Medicaid is starting to shoulder a bit of its burden in nursing home pay.  Right now what happens is that the private pay patients (roughly 1/3rd) are simply charged more to cover the rising costs of the Medicaid patients.  The private pay patients are now paying $5000-$6000/month extra to cover the costs of the Medicaid patients. (In some states Medicaid pays its full share, but Massachusetts is very big on all sorts of hidden taxes, of which the private pay patient cost is a very big one.)

The Boston Globe story can be accessed by clicking on the link below: