WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Nursing home workers were on Capitol Hill Wednesday voicing their support for modern national nursing home staffing requirements proposed by the Biden administration.
“Give us what we need so we can properly care for these residents,” said Lakeshie Jones, a union worker with SEIU.
Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas says staffing shortages are affecting care for residents. He says nursing homes have the resources to fix the problem but have failed to do so.
“Thousands of lives are at stake as these nursing home chains merge and are viewed as just another place to maximize profits, not a place to improve the quality of care,” said Rep. Doggett.
The rule requires nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid to have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours a day and to provide residents with a minimum number of hours of nursing care per day.
“This rule would only make things worse,” Missouri Republican Congressman Jason Smith said during a House Budget Committee meeting in March.
Rep. Smith says rural businesses struggling to find workers may be forced to downsize or even close if the rule comes into force.
“The government is about to impose a huge, unfunded $40 billion liability on nursing homes and seniors,” Smith said.
A House committee voted in March to block this rule.
Congressman Doggett says a vote in the full House could happen any day. He is urging his colleagues to vote against it.
“If they succeed, there will again be no action to save lives through safety standards,” Doggett said.
In addition, a version of the bill to block this rule has been introduced in the Senate.
