House Ways and Means Committee to Mark Up Several Health-Related Bills
- House Committee to Consider CNA Lockout Bill. Included in the May 8 markup is legislation to address the two-year CNA lockout for nursing homes. An updated version of the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 8244) was introduced by Representatives Ron Estes (R-KS) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) on May 6. The revised bill text would allow nursing homes to continue training CNAs even if they have received a fine above the $12,924 threshold provided the citations do not involve quality of care issues. The original version of the bill required the Secretary of HHS to oversee the determination process, whereas the new version sets out the requirements directly in statute. This legislative fix is particularly urgent in light of CMS’s final minimum staffing rule for nursing homes on the horizon. LeadingAge has worked tirelessly to fix the CNA lockout and supports this bill as one step of many that must be taken to advance toward our goal of increasing the aging services workforce.
- House Ways and Means Committee to Consider Telehealth Extenders Bill; Hospice telehealth extension contains program integrity guardrails. Included in the May 8 markup is the “Preserving Telehealth, Hospice, and Ambulance Access Act,” which contains extenders of current telehealth authorities first authorized in the Spring of 2020 and currently due to expire in December. The bill also contains a five-year extension of the Hospital at Home Waiver, which is also due to expire in December. This bill would authorize a five-year extension until December 2029. LeadingAge has written two articles on this bill: one on the general telehealth extenders and one on the hospice face to face recertification, which contains new program integrity guardrails. LeadingAge supports this bill.
