I. FOLLOWING THE NARRATIVE: A quick summary of national media trends last week.
(* indicates that LeadingAge is featured in the story.)
Late in the week, the White House released its highly anticipated Build Back Better Act framework, which includes a number of historic investments in services and supports for older adults, including funding for home and community-based services, workforce programs, and affordable housing for low income older adults. Other topics on reporters’ radars included staff shortages in aging services and the impact of federal vaccine mandates.
Build Back Better Reconciliation:
- Forbes: What Biden’s Latest Build Back Better Plan Means For Older Adults
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Slimmer, $1.75T Build Back Better framework calls for ‘historic’ investment in older adults, but more needed: LTC leader
- *Home Health Care News: Gutted Version of Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ Plan Still Includes $150 Billion for In-home Care
- WXXI: Biden’s $400B plan to overhaul home care is ‘more of a repair effort than a new direction
- *Hospice News: White House ‘Build Back Better’ Framework to Include $100 Million to Build Out Hospice, Palliative Care
- AP: Medicaid Issues, Not Medicare’s, Get Fixes in Biden Budget
- *Skilled Nursing News: Reconciliation Bill Includes Funding for SNF Surveys, Staffing Help
- *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Opinion: Needs of older adults can’t be overlooked
- The Hill: Opinion: Congress must fully fund home and community-based services
- The Hill: Affordable housing is critical infrastructure — its funding doesn’t show it
- The Washington Post: More health funding cliffs might be on the way
Vaccine Mandates, Caregiving Crisis & Workforce Shortages
- Bloomberg: Nursing Home Staff Shortages Linger as Vaccine Mandate Looms
- Fox News: GOP Doctors Caucus warns Biden healthcare vaccine mandate could worsen patient care, labor shortages
- McKnight’s Senior Living: House Committee Discusses 7 Bills Aimed At ‘rebuilding Pipeline Of Future Workers’
- BloombergLaw: Biden Vaccine Rule Will Let Employers Make Workers Pay for Tests
- McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Provider leaders: Bring On Immigrant Refugees For LTC Workforce
- The Washington Post: Biden administration looks to speed authorization of rapid coronavirus tests
- U.S. News & World Report: Choosing Senior Care? Consider Staffing
- McKnight’s Long Term Care: ‘Pervasive’ staffing shortage poses dilemmas for skilled nursing sector
II. Other Clips that Influenced the Week (including coverage of the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO in Atlanta): 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:
- *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Opinion: Needs of older adults can’t be overlooked
- CBS46-WGCL TV: Joyful Hearts – LeadingAge Photo Exhibit
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: ‘We’re in the love business’: New LeadingAge board chair
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Diversity, equity, inclusion effort aims to build pipeline of leaders for long-term care industry
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Not ‘the life we want’ as elders? Don’t settle for normalcy
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: ‘To know us is to love us’: LeadingAgeCEO on changing the narrative on aging services
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Assisted living providers balance care and service delivery, compliance with complex policies: speaker
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: New guidance affirms providers’ right to reject religious exemptions for COVID vaccinations due to ‘undue hardship’
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: ‘Going back to where we were is not an option’: LeadingAge CEO
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 2 reasons why vaccinated seniors are still at risk for severe COVID-19
- The New York Times: Are Vaccine Boosters Widely Needed? Some Federal Advisers Have Misgivings
- Kaiser Health News: Three States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care
III. What’s On Our Radar — this week’s likely priorities:
- Continuation of reconciliation legislation negotiations
- Waiting for interim final rule details and implementation guidance from CMS and OSHA on federal vaccine mandates
- Impact of vaccine mandates on staff
IV. National Statements & Products (all posted on the Press Room page):
