Follow
Share

AL notice claims COVID-related $ losses & increasing spouse's rent/care levels starting 2021. Increase is nearly 9.5% monthly, adding a whopping nearly $9K/yr. Are others receiving such large pandemic increases? This AL is in NYS, w/other facilities in many locales, including West Coast & Canada. Anyone experienced in making the case to reduce increase? Is it best to negotiate w/AL Sales Director? Not looking to move spouse & incur Community Fee! Thanks for any recommendations.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
Providing additional PPE for staff alone will increase costs for every healthcare facility this and next year.
Also there is a staffing shortage and many centers are paying for agency help to supplement staff that have left due to Covid.

Another factor against you is that if you are located in New York. This state lost thousands of elderly folks in LTC facilities due to Governor Cuomo mandating that Covid 19 positive hospital patients be sent to and accepted by LTC centers. Thousands died unnecessarily.

The assemblyman is placating you. If his parent died in a NH this year due to Cuomo’s decision I bet he would be intricately involved in the cost of long term care.

My guess is you won’t have luck negotiating anything. The facility will simply cite the cost of Covid as the rationale.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
NeedALGamePlan Nov 2020
Thanks for reminding folks about NYS Gov. Cuomo's mandate in late March to send elderly COVID positive LTC residents back from hospitals into their LTC facilities. The ship sent by our President and the Javits Trade Center should have been utilized, preventing some of the reported 12,000 NY elderly nursing home deaths. Sincerely hope people will remember this tragedy & the despair of so many families when Gov. Cuomo runs for President -- he's recenty published a book on "leadership" in preparation!
(1)
Report
When I was touring AL for my mom I was told prices were according to the services needed.

The facility that I liked best was not a corporate one. It was individually owned. They truly seemed to care for the residents the most.

I was told that on occasion prices were negotiable. It depends on how much money and that it never hurts to try to negotiate.

It was only assisted living without memory care unit. They had the usual amenities offered at all facilities. It was lovely. The residents looked well cared for and content to be living there.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Would you care to mention the state in which your assisted living/skilled nursing facility is located? (i.e downstate NY and points east are some of the most costly areas of the country to reside.) Although you "don’t accept county vouchers", is there an expectation of receiving gov't. COVID reimbursement? Thank you for providing some insight into your business model.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Bridger46146 Nov 2020
We’re in a rural area of eastern Ohio. We have not had much Covid here. We have not applied for any type of Covid funding.

Because we are in a rural we keep large supply stocks on hand - better than paying large delivery fees or driving to pick things up frequently. We also are in an area of high unemployment so don’t have problems with staffing shortages. We pay wages slightly above normal and our turnover is low.
(1)
Report
My family owns an assisted living/skilled nursing facility. We cost out expenses annually and make every effort to avoid price increases. We only increase at the beginning of the new calendar year if we have to. We send out letter in October for price increase January 1st. We are private pay. We don’t accept county vouchers that some places accept. We are for profit. But rarely make much. We opened our facility because it was much needed in our community; not as our main income stream. We keep our costs below those of other facilities in the area. We have already sent out letters stating there will not be a price increase in 2021. Covid has not affected our costs in any major way. We have a waiting list at all times.

Because of all of our ongoing efforts to keep costs down, we do not negotiate with an individual family. If we did that for one family, we would be obligated to do for all.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
Shane1124 Nov 2020
Thank you for your efforts! You provide invaluable services to your community.
Its hard to make a profit in your business. I think folks like you are commendable. Many people think owners of IL/AL make lots of money but that’s just not true. You have to cover a huge overhead. Thank you for what you do!
(2)
Report
Wow! $750/mo increase per resident? Sounds outrageous. I agree COVID has caused facilities to incur unplanned expenses, but $750 /mo/resident? Is this a non profit or for profit facility? Is this a temporary increase? I would meet with the director and see if they're willing to negotiate. I'm told everything's negotiable these days. You might drop a hint of leaving. Even during COVID, many facilities are accepting AL and MC residents now. If the increase is $750/mo, what is the total monthly rate? Threatening to leave would cause a significant hit to their bottom line. But don't make that threat before checking out other facilities and their availability just in case the director takes you up on your threat. Good luck.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
NeedALGamePlan Oct 2020
Monthly rate currently is $7825 which includes 2 care levels (Care 1 for ADL + Care 1 for meds totaling $1160), I've carefully dropped a hint in email to Finance Director, mentioning "needing confirmation of increase breakdown for accuracy & decision-making" -- haven't heard back for several days now! Believe ALF is for-profit. Spoke to local Assemblyman, who claims NY facilities received a "carve-out", but got no specifics. Sincerely appreciate response!
(0)
Report
See if ALs fall under what your State allows a landlord to increase rent by. Because an AL is a residence where u pay rent. With my Mom the rent was one part of the cost and her care the other part. If spouses care level has gone up not much you can do there. But the rent may have to be within State guidelines.

If you out "rent increase in assisted living" in search you will see previous postings.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
NeedALGamePlan Oct 2020
When I mentioned to Assemblyman that AL residency is similar to landlord rental, he termed it "interesting/novel" approach, and next day reported NY facilities had received a pandemic carve-out. In NY, landlords are prohibited to evict for rent non-payment thru 2021 & given a reprieve for property tax per Gov. Thanks for pointing me to previous postings, which I plan to review.
(0)
Report
I think this would end a problem when others learned of some reduction for one resident, and not for others, so I wonder if they ever do it. I DO know that my bro's place allowed families to negotiate for elders who were to be moved to memory care which is twice the cost, when they said that the finances were not there to do it; their elder was allowed to stay in ALF without memory care, actually too long in some cases. And while other residents were trying to be compassionate they resented someone who needed more care taking up all the time. I was never aware of fee negotiation. The elders gossip all day out in the gazebo; I would have thought Dee would have been first up telling me THAT. Wishing you luck. I would plead limited finances and having to preserve, and being forced to look around for better costs, and etc. I doubt you will get too far but worth a try for sure.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter