01/14/2026
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!
Alderwood Park Health and Rehabilitation is just one of the 194 skilled nursing facilities in the State of Washington, but certainly not the only one facing a financial crisis.
In 2025, we served more than 300 different residents and patients. These are some of the most vulnerable and frail elderly in the state, and this care cannot be provided in a lower level of care setting. 70% of all care days were for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Governor Ferguson’s proposed budget would eliminate promises made last year and freeze Medicaid rates at 2022 expense levels, and that is simply untenable.
Since 2022, even with a 32% increase in Minimum Wage, and overall inflation growth of 17.8% during this same period, our operating costs have risen a modest 10.8%. This is attributable to already minimizing every expense area that can be minimized. There is no more to give.
Current Medicaid funding covers only 85% of our daily cost of care, and the hourly Medicaid reimbursement at Alderwood is 17% less than the current hourly minimum wage rate.
Labor is our largest expense, and currently 75 cents of every Medicaid dollar goes directly to staffing. These funds are not discretionary. Our caregivers must be adequately compensated so they can continue to provide these necessary services. When wages fall short, facilities like ours are forced to rely on more costly temporary staffing agencies, which jeopardizes the care that these citizens require.
Please help us preserve the Medicaid funding already approved by the Legislature in the biennial budget last year so we can maintain safety, sustain quality care, and continue serving Washington’s most vulnerable residents.
Use the links below to make your voice heard!
Welcome to the WHCA Action Center! If you want to make a difference for your residents, patients and staff, this is the place to do it. Use the form messaging tools below to help advance current long-term care priorities, like Medicaid funding and dismantling obstacles to quality care and workforce....
