As Senate Republicans work behind closed doors to finalize President Trump’s sweeping tax proposal popularly called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a key Medicaid provision drawing attention is the proposed restriction on provider taxes, a funding tool critical to state Medicaid programs and rural health care providers, including nursing homes. Provider taxes allow states to […]
Category: Legislation
A state bill in Louisiana made progress this week, granting broad legal protections to nursing home management companies, despite widespread concern over poor care and accountability. The legislation would shield nursing homes from most lawsuits, funneling claims through the Medical Malpractice Act which caps damages and limits the financial liability of individual owners to $100,000. […]
In the wake of the proposed $700 billion Medicaid cuts in the House Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill,” advocates and experts are assessing the situation at the state level, and a bleak picture is emerging. In Illinois, nursing home and long-term care facilities could have severe consequences, according to a story in the local affiliate […]
Legislation to streamline and improve outdated prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage (MA) was reintroduced this week. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would require MA plans to adopt an electronic prior auth system with standardized transactions, and improve transparency around MA prior auth use and requirements. It’s the third time this legislation […]
The House narrowly passed a sweeping Republican-backed bill Thursday that could significantly alter Medicaid, with cuts of $700 billion to the program over the course of 10 years. “Technically this is lower than some projections of Medicaid cuts, but it’s still a dramatic reduction in federal funding for Medicaid programs. As states figure out how […]
Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) has introduced the Medicare Advantage Reform Act, which among other provisions would require health plans to pay for hospice care. If enacted, the bill would make wholesale changes to the Medicare Advantage program. It would mandate capitated payment models, change risk adjustment methodologies and create new exemptions for physician self-referrals, among […]
Some state legislatures are taking a closer look at the sustainability of long-term care, with their eye on a rapidly aging population and an increased need for such services in the coming years. In Pennsylvania, nursing home associations testified on reimbursement during a legislative hearing this spring as the state discussed its 2025-26 budget. Pennsylvania’s […]
During a Congressional hearing held Wednesday, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to top health agencies as lawmakers questioned HHS actions under his leadership – ranging from workforce reductions at HHS to spending cuts on scientific research, including research impacting older adults […]
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce has released a budget proposal that would place a moratorium on the federal nursing home staffing mandate and also prevent states from establishing new provider taxes. In its quest to find $880 billion in savings, the committee was widely expected to propose major cuts and changes […]
A class action lawsuit filed by nursing home residents against the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) is advancing, with plaintiffs alleging that the state’s failure to carry out required and timely inspections of nursing homes has resulted in substandard care. Meanwhile, delays in nursing home inspections have grave financial and legal repercussions for facilities as […]
Legislation introduced a second year in a row in Louisiana would make it more difficult to sue nursing home operators and limit the amount of money residents and their families could receive from lawsuits involving injuries, neglect and wrongful deaths. Republican Sens. Thomas Pressly and Alan Seabaugh re-introduced the bill in response to an increase […]
States with significant survey backlogs have prompted lawmakers to take action, in one case possibly requiring the state health department to provide quarterly reports on the progress of nursing home inspections. In Maryland, a bill awaiting the governor’s approval will require the state office of Health Care Quality to report to local jurisdictions every six […]
A leaked budget document from the White House shows nursing home-related changes, notably potential elimination of health care workforce programs focused on geriatrics and other aging services, and a prioritization of survey and certification funding. The “pre-decisional” document titled, “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 2026 Discretionary Budget Passback,” released by Inside Medicine, […]
A persistent grievance of nursing homes around immediate jeopardy (IJ) citations is that due to survey delays, the most severe citations remain on their records long after they have been resolved. A state bill passed on Tuesday aims to give nursing homes a second chance by allowing them to contest the violation before a citation […]
Bipartisan legislation under consideration in Illinois would add $200 million in additional federal Medicaid matching funds to the state, supplementing increased non-clinical expenses and administrative costs for nursing homes and bringing operators one step closer to Medicaid reform that better reflects the true cost of care. Lawmakers across the aisle on Tuesday announced their sponsorship […]
A bill to reform prior authorization requirements for Medicare Advantage (MA) – a massive burden that nursing home operators have been trying to change for some time – was reintroduced on Capitol Hill Thursday. Nursing homes have long argued that this aspect of MA needs to be right-sized through legislation. The Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays […]
As legislators think about how to make long-term care more accessible for a wave of future residents in the coming years, the nursing home sector along with other post-acute care settings could be a bipartisan rallying point. This is especially true as the baby boomer generation drives demand for long-term care, and the country continues […]
As Congress moves forward with a Republican budget resolution, Medicaid may be on the chopping block, with state governments expected to bear the cost. Nursing home leaders are warning that the cuts, if enacted, could hit the sector hard. On Tuesday night, the House narrowly passed a budget resolution, 217-215, losing only one Republican vote. […]
During a heated first confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised concerns over the practicality of the nursing home staffing mandate, acknowledging the risks it poses to access of care, especially in rural communities. He also shared his vision for lowering overall health care costs. Kennedy is seeking to lead the $1.7 trillion […]
All across the U.S., from California to Massachusetts and Wisconsin and Minnesota, especially in states with large rural communities, experts are worried that President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration, along with his pledge to lead the largest deportation effort in history, will compound the worker shortage the nursing home sector currently faces. President Trump’s […]
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