Families and Veterans Apr 28 2026: guardians conservators, nurses aides, pay mandate, state ed mandate, fall prevention

Michigan seniors are being priced out of nursing home care, while reliable help dwindles.

As a nursing student, I worked at the local nursing home as a nurse's aide. Back in the day, fall prevention was the responsibility of each facility orienting new hires. On-the-job training accompanied new equipment. Does this really require state mandates?

State dictation = higher costs and reduced local involvement.

At what point should we accept that this trend fails seniors, their communities, and taxpayers? 

And perhaps it was really a local problem all along?

Bridge Michigan report following this agenda.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026     12:00 PM

AGENDA

Presentation: Southeast Michigan Foster Parents and Advocates

HB 5678 (Rep. Rogers)
Health facilities: nursing homes; requirement for unlicensed personnel in nursing homes to complete fall prevention training established by the department; provide for.

HB 5679 (Rep. Meerman)
Labor: job training; fall prevention training; require employers to pay wages to employees for participating in.

HB 5723 (Rep. Meerman)
Children: child care; provider advisory council; establish.

OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE

The American Council on Aging rates nursing home costs by state and region. Michigan's range and placement is revealing - and unsustainable.

Bridge MI includes helpful source links.

https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/report-michigan-to-pay-more-for-nursing-homes-than-most-of-us-again/

Report: Michigan to pay more for nursing homes than most of US — again

Robin Erb    |    March 2, 2026

• A new report underscores rising costs for nursing home care across the US
• The median cost for a Michigan nursing home is nearly twice the median household income in Michigan
• Those rising costs fuel calls for alternatives to traditional nursing home care

Michiganders paid more than ever for nursing home care last year — and a lot more than residents in most other states, according to new data released Monday.

While the median cost for a private room in a nursing home across the country last year was $129,575, the median cost was $143,628 in Michigan, according to the Cost of Care Survey conducted by CareScout, which for years has tracked cost trends in long-term care.

That’s nearly twice as much as the median household income in Michigan.

It’s also more than 11% more than the median cost for the US.

The gaps in cost between Michigan and the US was even wider in shared, or semi-private, rooms.

The median cost for nursing homes across the US for a semi-private, or shared, room was $114,975 in 2025; in Michigan, the median cost is $135,050 for Michiganders — a more than 17% gap.

It’s a problem of supply and demand — both among consumers and among staffing backbone of nursing home care, said Samir Shah, CEO of CareScout.

Michigan is aging faster than most states — 1.9 million residents, or nearly 1 in 5, are already 65 or older, putting more demand on the state’s limited long-term care infrastructure.

At the same time, high turnover and more scrutiny of nursing homes during COVID has forced higher pay for staffing.

The result?

“You have a bit of a trifecta happening where all of these drivers are working in opposite directions,” Shah told Bridge Michigan. “You need more care. You have less care. And the care that is there is asking for more money.”

The report highlights a variety of care costs across the state — from about $100,000 a year for a private room in the Jackson area to more than $160,000 for a private room in Ann Arbor and Lansing areas.

And dollar figures don’t equate to quality, Shah noted.

Michigan’s nursing home industry includes five-star facilities, quality care and exceptional staff. But a Bridge investigation published in January also highlighted understaffing, neglect and abuse at many homes. In some cases, residents died as a result.

“Most families don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know to ask ‘Do you have specialists that come in to check up on Mom or Dad, or do they have to travel out?’ ‘Is there a bus service that takes them to a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods just to sort of walk around?’ ‘Are there exercise classes?’” Shah said.

Read more about choosing a nursing home: Choosing a nursing home can be tough; these tips can help

Costing everybody

The annual Cost of Care Survey dates to 2004. It examines costs for services, including non-medical caregiving, such as home health aids, as well as private duty nursing, adult day health care services, assisted living communities, and nursing homes.

Its 2025 report is based on more than 25,000 data points across the US.

Many of the costs are passed onto taxpayers.

Notably, Michigan’s nursing homes receive an estimated $3 billion each year in Medicaid, according to a special report released last year to outline possible Medicaid cuts under the Big, Beautiful Bill. Medicaid covers costs for lower-income Michiganders, but also for once-wealthier residents whose assets have run out.

The high cost of care, compounded with quality concerns, has some long-term care advocates calling for alternatives, including supports that help people age at home, Green House homes or the Programs of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

Proponents of programs such as Green House homes and the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, say they offer less expensive alternatives to nursing home care. (Emily Elconin for Bridge Michigan)

Nursing homes are necessary for many older residents, but as Gen X’ers age into long-term care, many will demand alternatives to aging facilities and care that demands big price tags, said Stephanie Winslow, executive director of the PACE Association of Michigan.

“This is a different generation. They don’t accept the status quo. They’re looking for better alternatives,” she said.

PACE advocates talk a good game (Lansing lobbying in particular), but they have exactly the same problem nursing homes do: no staff.

Agenda revised to the Child Advisory Council bill plus a presentation from SE MI.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026      12:00 PM

AGENDA

Presentation: Southeast Michigan Foster Parents and Advocates

HB 5723 (Rep. Meerman)
Children: child care; provider advisory council; establish.

OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE

Tomorrow's hearing was scheduled and cancelled today.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026     12:00 PM

AGENDA

HB 5723 (Rep. Meerman)
Children: child care; provider advisory council; establish.

Presentations from:

Steve Castle of Interfaith Shelter

Jon Turnull on his military experiences

OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE