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_ March
1, 2022 Contact: Toby Edelman | 202-293-5760 | TEdelman@MedicareAdvocacy.org The
Biden Administration has released a bold and comprehensive plan to improve
nursing home quality. The deaths from COVID-19 of more than 200,000 residents
and staff highlighted for the American people, as never before, longstanding
problems in how nursing homes operate and are regulated. Recognizing the need
for change in multiple areas, President Biden proposes meaningful and
essential changes in staffing, oversight, transparency of information about
ownership and finances, and much more. And
how do nursing home executives and owners respond? They complain that they
need more money. “In the 45 years I have advocated for nursing home
residents, I have heard two recurring themes from the nursing home industry:
regulate us less and pay us more,” said Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior
Policy Attorney Toby S. Edelman. “The
nursing home industry is not over-regulated and underpaid,” she added.
Facilities regularly ignore regulations with no consequence, in an oversight
system that too often looks the other way when residents are harmed and
suffer. The billions of dollars that nursing facilities receive
from Medicare and Medicaid, the billions they receive in special COVID-19 funding,
and the billions more in public benefits relied on by their
underpaid workers belie the claim that facilities struggle
financially. The
workers who provide care each day to residents for sub-minimal wages – who
have literally placed their lives on the line during the pandemic – are true
heroes and deserve better. Nursing
home owners and executives who complain that they need more money should stop
whining. Instead, they should be part of the solution. They should
support President Biden’s proposals and help improve nursing home care so
that all residents are treated with dignity and respect and receive high
quality care from fairly paid, trained, and respected staff. The Center for Medicare Advocacy (http://www.medicareadvocacy.org), is a national, non-profit, law
organization that works to advance access to comprehensive Medicare coverage,
health equity, and quality health care for older people and people with
disabilities. Founded in 1986, the Center focuses on the needs of people with
longer-term and chronic conditions. The organization’s work includes legal
assistance, advocacy, education, analysis, policy initiatives, and litigation
of importance to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide. Our systemic advocacy is
based on the experiences of the real people who contact the Center every day.
Headquartered in Connecticut and Washington, DC, the Center also has
attorneys in CA, MA, and NJ. Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. • www.MedicareAdvocacy.org • PO Box 350, Willimantic, CT 06226 |
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