A Minnesota Congresswoman has introduced legislation that could stop the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from implementing its proposed nursing home staffing requirements.
Protecting Rural Seniors Access to Care Act, HR 5796, would prohibit federal officials from finalizing the Sept. 6 draft rule, convening a nursing home workforce panel instead.
The act “will keep CMS from implementing this rule until it can prove it will not result in the closure of skilled nursing facilities, will not harm patient access, and will not make workforce shortage issues worse in areas that are already struggling,” Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) said in introducing the bill on Sept. 29.
The measure had three co-sponosors by Oct. 10. It created a major buzz in the long-term care sector, which has expressed intense concern about the ability to hire during an ongoing workforce crisis, particularly in rural areas.
“Getting this wrong will undercut equity and access in care,” warned LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan.
From the November 2023 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
