Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and David McKinley, R- W.Va., yesterday urged the White House to enlist federal agencies to investigate price gouging by nurse staffing agencies. 

“We have received anecdotal reports that the nurse staffing agencies are vastly inflating price, by two, three or more times pre-pandemic rates, and then taking 40% or more of the amount being charged to the hospitals for themselves in profits,” the senators said in a letter to White House COVID-19 Response Team Coordinator Jeffrey Zients. “We have heard the amounts charged to hospitals rose precipitously when the most recent wave of the COVID-19 crisis swept the nation and the agencies seemingly seized the opportunity to increase their bottom line. But this is not the first time the agencies have engaged in this sort of conduct. … We urge you to ensure that this matter gets the attention from the federal government it merits to protect patients in dire need of life saving health care treatment and prevent conduct that is exacerbating the shortage of nurses and continuing to strain our health care system.”
 

Related News Articles

Blog
Public
When projecting the potential shortage of U.S. health care workers soon, the sky isn’t necessarily falling — at least not equally, everywhere. However, updated…
Headline
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a 60-day extension of the comment period on its proposed rule to remove the remaining…
Headline
The AHA will host a webinar Aug. 13 from 1-2 p.m. ET that will explore strategies and proven de-escalation techniques unique to addressing workplace violence…
Headline
COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 45 states and not changing in five states, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease…
Headline
Nell Buhlman, chief administrative officer and head of strategy at Press Ganey, and Chris DeRienzo, M.D., AHA chief physician executive, explore the data-…
Headline
The Senate Appropriations Committee July 31 advanced the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,…