Missouri becomes the 38th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid expansion, which states have the option of adopting as part of the Affordable Care Act, extends eligibility in the program to individuals and families with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis

Safe Staffing Growing evidence proves that nursing facilities with staffing issues are likelier to experience COVID-19 outbreaks. Nursing homes with higher total numbers of nurse staffing hours had a lower probability of outbreaks, along with fewer total coronavirus deaths. Since the late-February outbreak, roughly 40% of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths have been related to nursing

A recent decision in South Carolina called Weaver v. Brookdale Senior Living Inc.. discussed equitable estoppel and arbitration. McKnight’s reported on the Court of Appeal’s arbitration decision in the assisted living case with tragic facts. FACTS Basically the facts are these: A resident at a Brookdale facility suffered from dementia. One night, the resident left

COVID-19 has hit nursing homes hard. CMS and the Trump Administration have no plans to stop the spread. Coronavirus cases in nursing homes surged to an all-time high this week. The uptick is driven by spread of the virus in Sunbelt states. An analysis of federal data shows almost 10,000 cases during the week of July

ABA Special Report highlights systemic failures in nursing homes during COVID-19 pandemic. The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging released its July-August 2020 issue of BIFOCAL. The special report is called “Is This a 9/11 Moment for Long-Term Care?,” It features articles and resources to support the elder law community in these unprecedented

Poor Training and Preparation The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that health inspectors caught caregivers at Ohio nursing homes failing to properly wear masks and other protective equipment. These nursing homes are clearly not training these caregivers. Or they do not provide enough personal protective equipment. Poor training and lack of preparation causes lapses in infection control