By If submitting electronically, please copy the text below, and we encourage you to add your personal stories and perspective to it. If submitting by mail you can DOWNLOAD A WORD FILE to edit and print out.
Governor Gavin Newsom
State Capitol, 1st Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
sent via email to leg.unit@gov.ca.gov
RE: SB 650 (Stern) – Signature Requested
I am writing in support SB 650, a bill that will bring much-needed corporate transparency to public nursing home spending.
California is paying more than ever before for nursing home care and it is not getting its money’s worth. Despite spending six billion dollars a year through Medi-Cal, the care provided in facilities is often abysmal and public dissatisfaction has never been more acute. The COVID-19 pandemic has tragically underscored the dangerous conditions at nursing homes throughout California. Over 117,000 residents and staff have been infected with COVID-19 and over 9,400 of them have died from it.
Nursing homes increasingly set up “related party” businesses to siphon profits without the public’s knowledge. The payments to related parties enable nursing homes to claim they are losing money and seek more and more taxpayer reimbursement. As we shovel more money to nursing homes, quality continues to decline. California has invested in nursing homes but nursing homes have not invested in improved care.
SB 650 will shed much-needed light on how nursing homes spend taxpayer dollars, so the public will finally know how much is being used to support nursing home residents versus how much is funding the lifestyles of billionaire owners. SB 650 is an essential piece of the legislature’s 2021 PROTECT Plan, a package of bills aimed at reforming nursing homes to improve state oversight, financial transparency, accountability, and ultimately enhance care for all residents.
Please sign SB 650.
Sincerely,
Your name