The politicians in Washington are keeping the SNF industry on its toes with the new Affordable Healthcare Act and it’s complete revamping of the previously predictable marketplace.

But that’s not the only thing we should be looking at uneasily.

An unrelated fight over renewing the nation’s farm bill has centered on cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. But there could be unintended consequences if no agreement is reached: higher milk prices.

Should LTC operators be nervous or is this just politics as usual? If milk prices do indeed soar higher, it remains to be seen how badly it’ll hit our industry. Will this affect all dairy products such as cheese and dairy-based sauces? In the dietary arena, these items alone can make up for approximately 25% of your total food expenditures.

Check out the full story via this link:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/28/farm-bill-stalemate-could-send-milk-prices-skyward/

The bottom line?

While our industry had a similar scare like this a while back, it remains doubtful that an upcoming spike in dairy products is happening anytime soon. But it’s worth keeping an eye out on these interesting developments.

Stay tuned.