Democratic lawmakers this week penned a letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure workers aren’t overburdened with high caseloads and inadequate support.
The legislators, led by U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), also called on CMS to establish robust nursing home staffing standards to ensure residents receive comprehensive, quality care, according to a statement issued by Rep. Schakowsky’s office.
The letter is timely given the agency’s completed study to determine the minimum number of hours administered per patient per day. It’s also been a little over a year since the Biden administration unveiled plans to reform the industry.
“It has been one year since President Biden’s State of the Union announcement concerning this study and over 20 years since CMS’s last review,” members wrote in the letter. “Meanwhile, many nursing home residents and workers have suffered from insufficient staffing. It is imperative that CMS finalize robust requirements this year.”
Lawmakers in the letter ask CMS to include “robust minimum staffing requirements” in the 2024 Medicare payment rule, and improve staffing data collection per a recommendation from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The letter, addressed to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, was endorsed by SEIU, AFSCME, American Nurses Association, National Nurses United, American Federation of Teachers, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Justice in Aging, Social Security Works, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, Long Term Care Community Coalition, and Public Citizen.
