The industry says continued rate increases will be necessary to rebuild and sustain the workforce going forward, but it remains to be seen whether state lawmakers will agree when it comes time for future budget negotiations.
The outlook is also uncertain for billions in targeted aid included in Biden’s imperiled Build Back Better plan, which was approved by the U.S. House but remains stalled in the U.S. Senate.
The office of Gov. Tom Wolf, who is serving his final term, said it hopes to see investments continue under future gubernatorial administrations and the legislature. Leaders of Pennsylvania’s Republican majority declined to comment.
Democratic lawmakers have tussled with Republicans over the latter party’s decision to shelve billions in federal COVID-19 relief money — funds the Democrats argue are needed to shore up social, health-care, and economic safety nets at a time of historic demand.
Wolf ultimately approved the savings plan by signing the state’s 2021-22 budget into law.
With that money in a rainy day fund, Democrats say there is a moral imperative before them.
“It’s not enough to put a sign in the yard that says, ‘Health Care Heroes Work Here.’ We show people how we value them by what we do for their pocketbooks,” said state Sen. Maria Collett, D-Montgomery, a former long-term care nurse and minority chair of the state Senate’s Aging & Youth Committee.
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