Providers cried "discrimination" and consumer advocates called for an even tougher stance Tuesday during a congressional hearing on the "Nursing Home Arbitration Act of 2008." House and Senate bills (H.R. 6126 and S. 2838) seek to disallow pre-admission clauses that bind residents to arbitration should a complaint be filed later.

American Health Care Association President and CEO Bruce Yarwood has reaffirmed his organization's opposition to the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act. A version of the bill was introduced Thursday in the House of Representatives, about six weeks after a Senate version was unveiled.

Nursing home operators would be unable to subject residents and prospective residents to binding arbitration clauses under a bill introduced Thursday afternoon in the U.S. House. When a companion bill was introduced in the Senate in April, consumer groups enthusiastically praised it and provider advocates roundly criticized it.

Average national liability costs to the long-term care sector have stabilized for the first time in nine years, according to a report released Monday by the Aon Corp.

One group was notably absent when the cheering erupted over the introduction of a bill that would ban arbitration agreements from nursing home admission contracts: providers.

A new Senate bill seeks to eliminate providers' ability to bind residents to pre-dispute arbitration agreements.

The Supreme Court's decision Monday to uphold a photo-identification law for Indiana voters may have negative repercussions for nursing home residents, experts say. The ruling may make it more difficult for many seniors to cast votes in future elections, they say.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday unanimously passed legislation that would put a hold on the implementation of seven Medicaid regulations, despite threats of a presidential veto.

Lobbyists for the long-term care industry on Friday voiced strong objections to the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act, a new piece of legislation that would prohibit the use of arbitration agreements at the time of a resident's admission to a long-term care facility.

The for-profit long-term care community has been digesting a bitter tasting piece of proposed new legislation in recent weeks.