House committee advances bill to repeal nursing home staffing ratios

The House Ways and Means Committee March 6 voted 26-17 to advance as amended to the full House the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513), AHA-supported legislation that would prohibit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from finalizing a proposed rule on minimum staffing for long-term care facilities.

“The AHA and its members are committed to safe staffing to ensure high-quality, equitable and patient-centered care in all health care settings, including LTC facilities,” AHA said in statement submitted to the committee. “However, CMS’ proposal to implement mandatory nurse staffing levels would have serious negative, unintended consequences, not only for nursing home patients and facilities, but the entire health continuum. … If implemented, the rule could severely limit access to nursing home care, particularly in rural and other underserved communities; lead to longer waits for emergency and inpatient hospital care; worsen staffing shortages across the care continuum; and hinder innovative, new approaches to delivering quality care.”