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The mandate requires that all nursing homes that receive
Medicare and Medicaid funding provide a total of at least 3.48
hours of nursing care per resident per day. Plus, nursing homes
must have a registered nurse onsite at all times.
Research by SeniorLiving.org shows 82%, or nearly 12,000
facilities in the U.S., will need to hire staff or face being
shut down.
Spokesperson Corie Wagner said Illinois is home to the fifth
highest number of understaffed nursing homes in the country.
“If we were to apply the new policies and new standards to
nursing homes in Illinois today, 84% of facilities would need
more staff, and that is really significant,” said Wagner.
The mandate will be phased in over three years, with rural
communities having up to five years.
Nursing home operators strongly objected to the minimum staffing
proposal in September, saying they already struggle to fill open
positions.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in September
announced a $75 million campaign to increase the number of
nurses in nursing homes.
Nearly 1.2 million residents live in Medicare- and
Medicaid-certified, long-term care facilities, but Wagner said
that number is expected to increase.
“It’s called the Silver Tsunami, so more Americans are aged 65
or older than ever,” said Wagner. “It's one of the largest
segments of our population but the infrastructure we have is not
keeping up with our population shift.”
A resolution aimed at overturning Biden’s nursing home staffing
mandate has a legitimate chance to pass the U.S. Senate.
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