The purpose of this letter is to enlist your help and the help of your readers to repeal an unconscionable Minnesota State law that imposes a surcharge on private pay nursing home residents. Our 96-year-old mother, a 75-year resident of Minnesota, a retired school teacher of modest means and now a 4 1/2-year private pay resident of a nursing home in District 22, received notice last June of a rate increase due to a nursing home surcharge imposed by the state. We accept rate increases as necessary and fair as our mother’s level of care increases and/or the nursing home faces higher costs due to inflation. We find it difficult, however, to comprehend the logic and the fairness of asking a 96-year-old nursing home resident to pay a surcharge in the amount of $7.71 per day that "goes into the state’s general fund where it is used to fund all state obligations. Sen. Jim Vickerman voted against this bill (thank-you, Sen. Vickerman). On Aug. 15, 2002, it was increased to $990. Effective July 15, 2003, it was nearly tripled to $2,815 per year or $7.71 per day. This amounted to an increase of $5.56 per day of which we were informed by letter on June 26, 2003. Prior to that we were not aware of a surcharge because it did not show as an itemized monthly charge. Telephone calls to Rep. Elaine Harder, who voted for this bill (shame on you, Rep. Harder), elicited a letter to one of us which began by acknowledging a $4.63 billion budget deficit. She went on to explain "the driving force was that by doing so (i.e. supporting the nursing home surcharge bill), there will be approximately $96 million additional federal dollars (for a combined total of $192 million) to be gained by our state." Telephone calls to Rep. Doug Magnus, who voted for this bill (shame on you, Rep. Magnus), netted one conversation with an aide who seemed to agree with our position and suggested it was probably an add-on to another bill. We don’t think so.Our mother is obviously not alone in her plight if the state of Minnesota expects to generate approximately $96 million and her share is $2,815. We urge the rest of you nursing home residents and/or your responsible parties and/or all other Minnesotans to telephone, write or e-mail your legislators to express your outrage and to ask them to revisit this bill in the session due to open in February. In District 22 these legislators are: Sen. Jim Vickerman, 226 State Capitol Building, St. Paul 55155; phone (651) 296-5650; e-mail: senjim.vickerman@senate.leg.state.mn.usRep. Elaine Harder, 509 State Office building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul 55155; phone (651) 296-5373; e-mail: rep.elaine.harder@house.mnRep. Doug Magnus, 515 State Office Building, St. Paul 55155; phone (651) 296-5505; e-mail: rep.doug.magnus@house.mnBonnie RogersWilmont, MNDick BjornstadSierra Vista, AZRuth GodfreyBuckeye, AZ
