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July 9, 2024
In this Issue:
- New Data and Resources Examining the Final Rule on Minimum Staffing in Nursing Homes
- Senator Warren and Representative Schakowsky Send Letter to AHCA and LeadingAge Regarding Their Actions to Block the New Nursing Home Staffing Rule
- Training on How to Submit Public Comment
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New Data and Resources Examining the Final Rule on Minimum Staffing in Nursing Homes
As you know, in April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. Consumer Voice and other organizations are working diligently to support the implementation of this rule. New data and resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) support the need for safe staffing in nursing homes.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) published a brief - Nurse Staffing Estimates in US Nursing Homes, May 2024 - using Nursing Home Care Compare Data from May 2024 examining current staffing levels in US nursing homes relative to specific minimum staffing requirements in the final rule.
Lobbying groups for the nursing home industry have been actively opposing the new nursing home staffing rule, spending millions of dollars in their efforts. SEIU Healthcare created a fact sheet - Nursing Home Staffing: Myths vs. Facts - responding to key claims the industry has raised as it attempts to roll back the rule.
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Senator Warren and Representative Schakowsky Send Letter to AHCA and LeadingAge Regarding Their Actions to Block the New Nursing Home Staffing Rule
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) sent a letter to the American Health Care Association and LeadingAge, two trade associations representing the nursing home industry, admonishing them for "shameless attempts to sabotage a longoverdue CMS rule that would help millions of seniors living in nursing homes receive better quality care." In May 2024, AHCA and LeadingAge filed a lawsuit against the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) over the recently issued minimum staffing rule in nursing homes. The rule is an important first step in obtaining adequate staffing in nursing homes. The Senator and Representative's letter demands that AHCA and LeadingAge provide answers to the public about why they are spending millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions in support of policies that would harm nursing home residents. "There is no justifiable rationale for opposing this rule, but the nursing home industry, instead of acting in the best interests of its residents, is seeking to do so, with no accountability to the residents they serve.”
Read the full letter.
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Training on How to Submit Public Comment
The White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE) has announced upcoming training with the Office of Management & Budget’s Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). The training is intended to assist the public in commenting on federal regulation. The notice and comment process allows any member of the public to submit a comment on an agency’s proposed regulation, and in developing any final regulation the agency must respond to relevant and significant public comments. At these training sessions, OIRA will describe (1) opportunities to provide comment in the regulatory process; (2) how to submit public comments; and (3) how to draft effective public comments.
Both trainings will cover the same material, so interested parties should plan to only attend one. Register for a training:
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