AONL supports removal of bill’s mandated-staffing ratio requirement

The House Ways & Means Committee advanced an AONL-supported bill that would void a proposal to adopt nursing home mandated staffing ratios. The committee voted 26-17 to send as amended to the full House the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513). Sponsored by Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., the bill would prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from finalizing a proposed rule on minimum staffing for nursing homes. The American Hospital Association and AONL believe mandatory nurse staffing levels would limit access to nursing home care, particularly in rural and other underserved areas. Minimum staffing would affect the health continuum, leading to longer waits for emergency and inpatient hospital care; worsen staffing shortages; and decrease the adoption of innovative approaches to delivering quality care, according to a statement submitted by the AHA. (AHA News article, 3/6/24)