MECHANICSBURG, PA — A leading advocacy group for senior care providers said Tuesday that Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026–27 state budget fails to address what it called a growing crisis in funding for aging services, even as Pennsylvania’s older population continues to expand.
LeadingAge PA President and CEO Garry Pezzano said the governor’s proposal overlooks critical investments needed to stabilize nursing homes, community-based care, and services that support older adults and their families across the commonwealth.
“As Pennsylvania’s population continues to age, the Commonwealth must make needed investments in aging services to ensure that older adults and their families can rely on a stable, sustainable ecosystem of care,” Pezzano said in a statement responding to Shapiro’s budget address. “Unfortunately, the Governor’s budget proposal overlooks that essential need.”
Pezzano said providers are facing ongoing strain from what he described as broken funding systems, particularly inadequate and unpredictable Medicaid reimbursement. He warned that those pressures are intensifying amid uncertainty at the federal level and what the organization called years of insufficient state investment.
While acknowledging fiscal constraints facing state government, LeadingAge PA urged lawmakers to prioritize older Pennsylvanians as negotiations continue. Pezzano called on the administration and the General Assembly to work with providers to establish more predictable funding and long-term sustainability for aging services.
The organization said that would require setting reasonable funding floors and investing about $274 million in nursing homes, along with roughly $19.3 million for the Living Independence for the Elderly program, known as LIFE, which supports seniors who wish to remain in their communities.
“Anything short of that is a failure of our commonwealth’s obligation to serve and care for the most vulnerable among us,” Pezzano said.
LeadingAge PA represents more than 400 senior housing, health care, and community service providers statewide, serving over 75,000 older adults and employing more than 50,000 caregivers. Its members include skilled nursing facilities, assisted living residences, LIFE providers, home- and community-based services, and affordable senior housing.
The statement adds to a growing chorus of responses from advocacy groups weighing in on Shapiro’s budget proposal as lawmakers begin hearings and negotiations ahead of the next fiscal year.
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