Bizzarro, Policy Committee examine sustainable long-term care

Lawmakers hear from experts on workforce, reimbursement challenges

Rep. Ryan Bizzarro March 19, 2025 | 4:16 PM

HARRISBURG, March 19 – Quality aging services protect our seniors, but they are facing a financial and workforce crisis that will only compound as one of the nation’s oldest populations continues to age.

“Pennsylvania must fix its aging services care in order to protect our older population,” said Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who represents portions of Erie County. “My bill would update legislation that was originally intended to be a one-year fix to the growing nursing home costs about 20 years ago. It would update an antiquated system that only five states in the nation continue to use.”

The House Majority Policy Committee hosted a hearing on sustainable long-term care at Bizzarro’s request. A recording of the hearing’s livestream can be found here.

Bizzarro, the House Majority Policy Committee chairman, is introducing legislation to address the long-term care financial crisis, which has impacted seniors and workers. The bill would set predictable funding, using a formula to set the minimum reimbursement rate so aging services can set budgets – including staffing levels. This legislation would help preserve and improve the care for seniors at government-run, nonprofit and for-profit nursing homes, as well as personal care homes and assisted living communities.

Pennsylvania has a lower reimbursement rate than all its neighboring states. Its population is also the fifth-oldest in the nation, meaning the commonwealth not only needs aging service care but it needs increased services as the population continues to age. Yet the financial challenges facing providers has resulted in more than 30 skilled nursing facilities closing across the state since the start of the pandemic – including Luzerne County’s Bonham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which closed this month. The closure of nursing facilities in Pennsylvania is a unique phenomenon in the nation, testifiers noted.

Wednesday’s House Majority Policy hearing featured testimony from Zach Shamberg, the president and CEO of Pennsylvania Health Care Association; Zane Barrick, the director of data management from Pennsylvania Health Care Association; Meir Gelley, the CEO from Nationwide Healthcare; Garry Pezzano, the president and CEO of LeadingAge PA; Anna Warheit, the director of Regulatory Affairs from LeadingAgePA; and Jason Shott, the COO at Phoebe Ministries.