South Dakota lawmakers will have a number of bills dealing with long term care and nursing homes in this year’s session.
A summer study committee held several hearings on the issue.
One of the bills would allow nursing home beds to be swapped across the state.
Interim Committee Chairman, Representative Wayne Steinhauer of Hartford, says it isn’t being driven by rising demand……

A moratorium on adding nursing home beds has been in place since 1988. Steinhauer says the population has shifted quite a bit since then….

There are an additional eleven hundred beds allowed, but not funded right now. Steinhauer says their bill would allow facilities to move unused beds around the state….

Steinhauer says there are safeguards on the bill that would prohibit an auction for the available beds. A majority of nursing home care is paid by the state through Medicaid.