Nursing home cuts remain in House-passed budget plan

The Ohio House passed its substitute version of Gov. Kasich’s budget yesterday and, contrary to earlier reports, the $470 million in cuts to nursing homes that were in the Governor’s original version remain unchanged (Source: “Ohio House $55.6B budget plan blunts some cuts,” Associated Press via Forbes.com, May 5, 2011).

However, Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) said that if the state continues to see improved tax revenue projections, those cuts could be lessened in the final budget that is expected to be passed in late June (by law the General Assembly must pass a two-year budget by June 30).

The House bill provides $15 million more for PASSPORT, an in-home care option for seniors, although advocates describe the funding as providing more slots for entering the program while cutting the types of services that will be covered.