I. FOLLOWING THE NARRATIVE: A quick summary of national media trends last week.
(*LeadingAge is featured in the story.)
Efforts to reach agreements on infrastructure inched forward as the White House and a group of bipartisan Senators reached a deal on physical infrastructure, including broadband but excluding caregiver funding. Separately, Democratic lawmakers addressed care economy needs via introduction of the Better Care Better Jobs Act. Vaccination rates remain an interest as more CMS data becomes available. Workforce shortages in long-term care was also a major focus.
Infrastructure and vaccines:
- *Modern Healthcare: Democrats propose $400 Billion Medicaid boost for Home Care
- USA Today: Senators say they’ve reached agreement with White House on a roughly $1.2T bipartisan infrastructure ‘framework’
- Wall Street Journal: What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan?
- Boston Business Journal: Op-ed: Strengthening the human infrastructure of our care economy
- *McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Despite progress, nursing homes expected to fall short of 75% staff vaccination goal
- Bloomberg Law: ‘Flat-Out Resistant’ Staffers Imperil Nursing Home Vaccine Goal
- Boston Globe: Nursing homes struggle to reduce a serious COVID risk: many employees resist vaccination
- Lexington Herald Leader: COVID killed thousands in KY nursing homes. Why aren’t employees taking the vaccine?
- *The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Should workers be required to get vaccinated? Some Georgia senior-care homes say yes
- McKnight’s Senior Living: Town hall aims to push long-term care vaccination levels to 75 percent by July
Workforce:
- *CNN: COVID 19 Exposed the Devastating Consequences of Staff Shortages in Nursing Homes. But the problem isn’t New
- *Skilled Nursing News: 94% of Nursing Homes Face Staffing Shortages
- Home Health Care News: A Third of Americans Rely on the Unregulated ‘Gray Market’ for Senior Care
- *Home Health Care News: ‘Better Care Better Jobs Act’ Seeks Permanent FMAP Bump, Higher Wages for HCBS Workers
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Industry continues to look to immigration reform to help address workforce shortages
- *Forbes: Taking Labor Shortages Seriously – Economywide
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Labor expert: Creativity, more than money, could attract workers to home care
- *Hospice News: Congress Mulls Bill to Bulk Up Direct Care Hospice, Home Health Workforce
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:
- *Associated Press: Watchdog: Nursing home deaths up 32% in 2020 amid pandemic
- WCBI (CBS-Columbus, MS): Nursing homes are working tirelessly to protect staff and residents
- Associated Press: ‘Protected them to death’: Elder-care COVID rules under fire
- Forbes: Will COVID-19 Improve Long Term Care?
- Washington Post: Medicaid enrollment swells during the pandemic, reaching a new high
- McKnight’s Senior Living: MedPAC recommendations could deal a blow to vulnerable partial dual eligibles
- Forbes: For Older Adults, The Internet Has Become A University, A Gym, A Support Group, And A Coffee Shop
- CNBC: House of Representatives passes bill to protect older Americans in the workplace
- Skilled Nursing News: Diversified Service Lines Make SNFs Better Positioned for Post-Pandemic World
- WBUR: Boston City Council Proposes Law To Maintain Affordable Housing
III. What’s On Our Radar–this week’s likely priorities
- Ongoing negotiations on hard and soft infrastructure.
- Vaccination rates in long-term care.
- Introduction of the WISH Act, with proposed funding mechanisms to pay for long term care
- Proposed home health payment update, with expected hospice survey reform provisions
