Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd has gone to court to block new federal rules on long-term care facility staffing, saying the rules would force “mass closures” of nursing homes across the country. insisted.
The rule requires nursing homes that receive federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid to have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours a day. Each resident must receive approximately three and a half hours of care each day from a nurse or medical assistant. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd called these requirements “unrealistic” given the national shortage of health care workers and 94% of nursing homes currently not meeting their staffing levels. He said there is. Byrd is leading a group of attorneys general from 20 states that is suing to halt the Biden administration. Bird said the cost of long-term care will increase by $43 billion over the next 10 years, leading to increased patient compensation for nursing homes.
The White House says the rule addresses nursing homes that are chronically understaffed and can lead to substandard or unsafe care. The lawsuit claims the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid does not have the authority to enforce the rules. The Attorney General estimates that U.S. nursing homes will need to hire more than 100,000 additional full-time employees to comply with staffing requirements.
