Nursing homes look to Trump to end staffing rule

Health Care

The Big Story

Nursing homes look to Trump to nix staffing rule

Republicans are expected to undo the Biden administration’s contentious nursing home staffing rule, to the relief of the nursing home industry.

More than 200,000 people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities died during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to staffing issues.

The Biden administration introduced nursing home reforms, including issuing national minimum staffing requirements.

Under the rule, nursing homes are required to provide every resident with at least 3.48 hours of nursing care a day, and they must have a registered nurse on site 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The rule — which is set to fully take effect for urban facilities in 2027 — has received bipartisan pushback. Republicans, though, have rallied harder against the rule.

Nursing home industry groups have tried to stop the rule from being implemented through legal action and urged Republicans and some Democratic lawmakers to work to rescind it.

Industry groups argue the rule does not appropriately address current nursing home workforce challenges like staffing shortages. They claim the rule is a “one-size-fits-all" policy that will ultimately harm residents and force facilities to close.

Proponents of the rule, however, argue it finally sets a standard in an industry that has long needed more robust staffing requirements.

“We have minimum staffing standards for doggy day cares, we have minimum staffing standards for child care centers,” said Sam Brooks, director of public policy at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. “It’s absurd to think that this is some burden that is going to undo the industry.”

There are several avenues that President-elect Trump or congressional Republicans could take to rescind the rule. Read more about them here.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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