I. FOLLOWING THE NARRATIVE: A quick summary of national media trends last week.
(* indicates that LeadingAge is featured in the story.)
The impact of proposed Medicare funding cuts announced last week spurred a fresh wave of interest in nursing home finances and the sector’s future. Meanwhile, as COVID funding remains stalled in Congress, HHS extended the public health emergency for three months, and nursing home providers navigate COVID-related lawsuits. Finally, fresh survey results from University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging show that while many older adults want to age in place, few have considered how to make that happen.
Biden Administration, Congress, Government Agencies
- New York Times (Editorial), Nursing Homes Are in Crisis. We Can’t Look Away Any Longer.
- *USA Today, ‘Values of our society’: Nursing homes shut down, close wings amid COVID-19 staffing crunch
- *Skilled Nursing News, Proposed Medicare Funding Cuts ‘Exponentially Shocking’ to SNF Operators
- *McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Nursing home pay rule reveals CMS strategy on minimum staffing
- *Skilled Nursing News, FEATURED [UPDATED] CMS’s Proposed $320M Decrease in Nursing Home Medicare Funding Could Be ‘Ruinous’ for Struggling Operators
- *McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, CMS ‘heartless’ for its big nursing home pay cut proposal
- *Home Health Care News, Proposed Payment Rules for Other Settings Forecast Home Health Trouble
- Bloomberg, Biden Administration Advances Plan for Nursing Home Minimum Staff Levels
Coronavirus, Workforce, Lawsuits
- Skilled Nursing News, Nursing Home Resident COVID-19 Deaths Plunge But New Variant Poses Another Test for Operators
- USA Today, This nursing home chain reported the highest COVID death rate. Then it deleted deaths.
- McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Take residents off the menu, put relief on the table, Argentum says as House passes $55 billion aid package
- McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, HHS extends public health emergency, answering providers’ No. 1 priority
- *McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Three-day stay waiver safe, but only for now
- McKnight’s Senior Living: Job recovery still slow in long-term care: study
- *McKnight’s Senior Living, Ohio Living CEO: Why it is vital to innovate, grow and appreciate employees
- *Skilled Nursing News, Fighting the Perception That Entry-Level Nursing Home Jobs Are a ‘Dead End’
- McKnight’s Senior Living, Job recovery still slow in long-term care: study
- The Wall Street Journal, Nursing Homes Face Growing Number of Lawsuits From Covid-19 Fallout
- McKnight’s Senior Living, COVID-19 negligence claims against long-term care providers ‘disregard reality’
- McKnight’s Senior Living, COVID-19 lawsuits growing ‘in spades’ against long-term care providers
II. Other Clips that Influenced the Week: LeadingAge is a sought-out, reliable source for multiple trade and national media outlets (see that coverage posted in our LeadingAge Press Room). Other key clips that shaped the narrative last week:
- *Skilled Nursing News, Future of the CNA: Nursing Home Reform Efforts, Staffing Crisis Drive Changes in Key Role
- McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Bring in religious leaders to increase nursing home accountability, experts urge CMS
- The Sun Gazette (Column/Commentary) (Arlington, VA), Commentary: Congress must support housing options for seniors
- *US News & World Report, The Advantages of Assisted Living
- Futurity, Many Folks Over 50 Haven’t Prepped To Age In Place
III. What’s On Our Radar — this week’s likely priorities:
- Next phase of outreach re: Older Americans’ Month and access to care
- Ongoing engagement with White House, federal agencies re: POTUS Quality of Care in Nursing Homes Initiative
- Following
- Progress of aging services-focused investments in White House FY2023 budget
- Nomination of Julia Gordon to be the next Federal Housing Administration Commissioner / Assistant Secretary for Housing at HUD
- House and Senate Appropriations Committees’ 302b allocations
IV. National Statements & Products (all posted on the Press Room page):
V. State Resources Rundown: State Association Media Materials: A folder of helpful resources, sample op-eds, fact sheets, and more.
- NASEM Report Talking Points
- Placed Op Eds: Add yours