Biden’s Plan on Staffing

Biden’s plan is to establish a safe minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes. It has been a long time coming. Since 2001, CMS and industry experts knew that 4.1. hours per patient day of direct nursing and custodial care is necessary to prevent neglect. No U.S. states meet those guidelines today. Often, more is required.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure leads CMS and hears the complaints from residents, families, and caregivers. She recently said:

“When we talk to people on the front lines in nursing homes, the number one issue that we hear about is staffing.”

Setting minimum staff thresholds would ensure that public funding goes to caregiving and not real estate investment trusts or other private equity financial shenanigans. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) sent a letter demanding even more bailout money and whining about reimbursements despite record profits in some chains.