(The Center Square) – An industry group says the Biden administration’s new staffing regulations for long-term care facilities are unrealistic.
The mandate requires that all nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding provide a total of at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Plus, nursing homes must have a registered nurse onsite at all times.
Research by SeniorLiving.org shows 82%, or nearly 12,000 facilities in the U.S., will need to hire staff or face being shut down.
Spokesperson Corie Wagner said Illinois is home to the fifth highest number of understaffed nursing homes in the country.
“If we were to apply the new policies and new standards to nursing homes in Illinois today, 84% of facilities would need more staff, and that is really significant,” said Wagner.
The mandate will be phased in over three years, with rural communities having up to five years.
Nursing home operators strongly objected to the minimum staffing proposal in September, saying they already struggle to fill open positions.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in September announced a $75 million campaign to increase the number of nurses in nursing homes.
Nearly 1.2 million residents live in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified, long-term care facilities, but Wagner said that number is expected to increase.
“It’s called the Silver Tsunami, so more Americans are aged 65 or older than ever,” said Wagner. “It’s one of the largest segments of our population but the infrastructure we have is not keeping up with our population shift.”
A resolution aimed at overturning Biden’s nursing home staffing mandate has a legitimate chance to pass the U.S. Senate.
