By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
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Across America, 1.3 million people live in nursing homes—including almost 10,000 of our fellow Nebraskans. Many of us have parents, grandparents, or other loved ones who rely on these homes for care and community in their golden years. We understand just how vital nursing homes are, in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike, to help seniors around our country thrive.
But unfortunately, a federal rule that is still in place from the Biden era is putting many of America’s nursing homes in jeopardy—especially those in rural communities. Last year, under President Biden, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) finalized a rule that imposed strict, unrealistic regulations on nursing homes. The rule requires a registered nurse (RN) to be present 24/7 in these homes and requires three and a half daily hours of dedicated nursing care for each resident. If this rule is not stopped, the regulations will be imposed on every nursing home in America over the next few years.
It may sound nice to have a nurse on hand in nursing homes every moment of the day or night. But the reality is that these homes are already facing historic staffing shortages. Across the country, according to federal labor statistics, nursing homes lost more than 200,000 workers from February 2020 to December 2022.
Staffing shortages have already caused many nursing homes to close down. Since 2015, 44 nursing homes and 35 assisted living facilities have shut their doors in Nebraska alone. Those closures deprived Nebraskans of over 3,000 beds and hurt seniors who wanted to stay in their home community, close to family and friends. The CMS rule will worsen this crisis—according to the agency itself, 75 percent of America’s nursing homes will have to increase staffing to comply with its regulations.
Under the Biden administration’s rule, nursing homes now have to scramble to find staff in the midst of overwhelming shortages. If they fail, they’ll have to shut their doors, depriving seniors of care and housing.
This month, I plan to reintroduce my legislation to stop this Biden-era rule in its tracks. My Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act will prevent the rule’s misguided requirements from going into full effect. It will also establish an advisory panel on the nursing home workforce representing various stakeholders, including members from rural and underserved areas. This will ensure that the government hears voices outside the big cities on the coasts when it comes to nursing homes.
Nursing homes are few and far between in rural areas of our country. Fifteen of Nebraska’s counties have no nursing home. If one facility closes, the next closest one could be many miles or even hours away. Just one closure could be detrimental to seniors in some of our communities.
But if our nursing homes stay open, seniors won’t have to face upheaval in their final years. They won’t have to leave family and loved ones behind to find a new home. They won’t have to experience the loneliness, uncertainty, and depression that can come along with moving to an unfamiliar place.
My bill advocates for these seniors, their care, and their families. It fights for our rural communities and for nursing homes in Nebraska. I’ll keep pushing for this legislation until the president signs it into law—to protect seniors from a rule that would only harm them, their families, and their caretakers.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.