Green Bay-area retirement home to evict residents on Medicaid at end of February, citing costs, inflation

HOBART - A retirement home in Hobart is evicting residents supported by Medicaid at the end of February due to increased costs and inflation, the facility announced Tuesday afternoon.

Up to 10% of residents at Emerald Bay Retirement Community & Memory Care, 650 Centennial Centre Blvd., have been funded by Medicaid. But due to increased costs and wages for staff, the retirement home will terminate Family Care contracts, according to a letter sent to families and posted on Facebook from Katherine Tegen and Barbara Bittner. Tegen is CEO and Bittner is COO of BAKA Enterprises, which "owns, leases and manages assisted living communities," according to the company's website.

“No longer accepting Family Care (Medicaid) funding, will offset the increased cost of doing business, keep the community well-staffed and allow rent increases to remain low and sustainable,” the letter stated.

Emerald Bay was passing some of the cost from the low Medicaid rates to private-pay residents. That had been effective for 20 years, the facility said. Due to rising costs, however, some residents are now facing rent increases that they can’t afford, according to the letter. 

Emerald Bay's 10% rule affects nine apartment in the residential care apartment complexes and two in the community-based residential facility.

The letter, dated Jan. 27, acted as a 30-day notice for residents in the assisted living and Memory Care buildings..

“We know this is tough on our residents required to relocate, but we have to make smart decisions to continue to provide great care and to keep our residents safe,” the letter said. “We don’t know when the next pandemic will surface, but we want to be ready.”

Emerald Bay declined to comment Wednesday morning.

Family Care is a state Medicaid long-term care program for older adults and those with disabilities.

This story will be updated.