New Nursing Home Beds on Horizon?

Plans to repeal a freeze on new nursing home beds in Florida are building steam among lawmakers as the pre-session work continues. The House Health Innovations Subcommittee on Wednesday unanimously backed the plan to lift the 2001 moratorium on opening new community nursing homes and adding up to 5,000 new nursing home beds across the state, according to the Florida Current. The rule was created as a means to control Medicaid costs, but expires in 2014. Lobbyists from the AARP don’t oppose the plan, but said the request for 5,000 beds is excessive.