In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare workforce, particularly in nursing homes, has faced significant challenges. As a result, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have introduced new minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes nationwide. They have also established new pay standards for workers in home- and community-based healthcare services funded by federal Medicaid dollars. The aim of these changes is to improve patient care and enhance the services provided by healthcare aides who support patients with various tasks.
The new rules are designed to focus on long-term care for low-income disabled individuals and the elderly. Medicaid will now allocate more healthcare spending to support workers providing critical services to patients in need. According to Jennifer Lav, a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program, a significant portion of the rates paid by states to providers must now go directly to the workers rather than administrative overhead.
The new staffing requirements at nursing homes include standards for registered nurses, nurse’s aides, and other staff members. Only one in five nursing facilities currently meet these requirements. Employers will have a grace period to adjust and meet the new staffing levels mandated by CMS. Robin Rudowitz, vice president and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF, a health-policy research group, stated that these changes will improve patient care outcomes and ensure that patients receive adequate support from healthcare workers.
Marketplace remains an essential source of information for understanding how current events impact our lives. Your financial support is vital in ensuring that Marketplace can continue delivering reliable, fact-based reporting. With just $5 per month donation, you can help sustain independent journalism and enable Marketplace to cover issues that matter most to you.
