Summary
The nursing home industry is pressuring Trump to rescind a Biden-era staffing mandate requiring minimum nurse levels, set to begin in 2026.
Industry groups argue the rule is costly and unrealistic due to workforce shortages, while advocates insist it is critical for improving care after 172,000 nursing home deaths during COVID-19.
Critics fear rescinding the rule would weaken accountability for poor care.
Trump’s history of deregulation suggests the mandate could be reversed, despite concerns over inadequate staffing and misuse of funds in for-profit facilities.
The money just isn’t there for a lot of them.
Almost 75% of residents at nursing homes are primarily paying via Medicare/aid. The reimbursement rate from Medicare/aid is so low that you cannot actually afford to run the business safely on it. Increasing staffing to increase safety is great, but it also needs to come with an increase in the reimbursement rate in order to make it possible.
Understand, I am NOT against minimum staffing requirements, but they will cause a number of facilities to shut down and leave the most vulnerable elderly homeless unless the reimbursement rate is increased to cover the cost of the extra staffing.
Source: worked in the Long Term Care Industry for over a decade.
Total agreement here. Good thing Elon is going to DOGE up the government, right?