Lawmakers press nursing home chains on corporate spending amid staffing rule fight
Congressional Democrats demanded information about the corporate spending by the operators of three of the country's largest public, for-profit nursing homes, after the companies said they can’t afford the Biden administration’s new minimum staffing threshold.
In letters sent to the companies Sunday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) pressed for information about buyouts, dividends, and salaries to executives and shareholders.
The lawmakers aim to contrast that with the salaries for nurses and nursing aides, amid widespread industry opposition to the new staffing requirements because they are too costly.
"These two competing claims do not add up,” the lawmakers wrote, noting that the industry "diverts hundreds of millions of dollars in cash away from nursing home staff and patient care, and into the pockets of company executives and shareholders.”
The lawmakers demand the three companies answer how they determine executive compensation and whether it is influenced by quality of care or profits. The letters also ask for answers on the three companies' average pay and tenure for their registered nurses and nurse aides.
Since 2018, National Healthcare Corp., the Ensign Group Inc. and Brookdale Senior Living Inc. have paid out nearly $650 million in stock buybacks, dividend payments, and other financial rewards to top executives, including nearly $118 for Brookdale Senior Living, $300 million for the Ensign Group and over $226 million for National HealthCare Corp.
The lawmakers said that level of executive spending undermines "the claim that nursing homes cannot afford to pay for enough staff" to meet the new rule.
Last month, the Biden administration announced a final rule requiring nursing homes to have minimum levels of front-line caregivers for the first time or face financial penalties.
Among other provisions, the final rule will also require facilities to have a registered nurse on staff 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The rule requires nursing homes to provide each resident a minimum of 0.55 hours of care from a registered nurse and 2.45 hours from a certified nursing assistant every day.
The rule is aimed at addressing nursing homes that are chronically understaffed, which can lead to substandard or unsafe care. The rule's requirements will be introduced in phases, with longer timeframes for rural communities.
Advocates have been calling for a minimum staffing requirement for more than two decades, arguing that residents are safer and have better care with more staff, but the industry had successfully resisted.
Date: |
Filter
-
House Republicans introduce measure to overturn nursing home staffing rule
House Republicans have introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes. Under the requirements unveiled last month, all nursing homes that receive federal ...The Hill - Politics - Republican Party -
The war over nursing homes is heating up
Staffing mandates are just the beginningMarketWatch - Business -
New spending fight emerges
Business & Economy The Big Story McConnell and Democrats on collision course over spending Senate Republicans are on a collision course with Democrats over government funding, as the latter insists nondefense spending programs receive equal ...The Hill - Politics -
Johnson condemns lawmaker fighting at hearing: ‘Not a good look’
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) condemned the tone of a raucous Thursday night House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing saying members need to show decorum. “It's not a good look for Congress,” Johnson told reporters as they asked about a ...The Hill - Politics -
With Ukraine Funded, New Fight Emerges in Congress Over Pentagon Spending
Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans want more federal money for the military. But Democrats say domestic programs must get an equivalent boost.The New York Times - Top stories - Ukraine
More from The Hill
-
Why Biden's China tariffs could hurt his climate agenda
As President Biden strives to prove his pro-manufacturing and anti-China credentials ahead of his likely election rematch with former President Trump, his far-reaching climate agenda could pay a price. Biden this past week hiked tariffs on ...The Hill - Politics -
Biden’s Morehouse speech exposes his 2024 political problems
President Biden will set foot on a college campus Sunday for the first time since universities around the country became hotbeds for protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Biden is delivering a commencement speech at Morehouse College, an ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Trump’s hush money defense in question as criminal trial nears close
Questions are flying about whether Donald Trump will put up a defense in his historic hush money criminal trial as the Manhattan district attorney’s office winds down its case-in-chief this week. The former president’s attorneys, it seems, don’t ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
Frustration with Netanyahu boils over on plans for Gaza after Hamas
Frustration is growing in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war against Hamas and his growing split with President Biden, raising fears that the public tensions could invite increased attacks from Iran and its proxies ...The Hill - Politics - Israel -
Marijuana rescheduling moves businesses into ‘uncharted territory’
Marijuana business owners hoping to benefit from the Biden administration’s move to reschedule the drug may be in for disappointment, according to experts. The administration announced plans Thursday to move forward with a rule that would ...The Hill - Politics