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October 19, 2021
In this Issue:
- Support Nursing Home Provisions in Budget Reconciliation
- New Episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast
- Webinar Tomorrow on Protecting Residents from Evictions in Residential Care Communities
- Consumer Voice Executive Director Writes About Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes for American Society on Aging
- New Medicaid.gov Page on State Actions to Expand Medicaid HCBS
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Support Nursing Home Provisions in Budget Reconciliation
We have a huge opportunity to get meaningful nursing home reforms passed into law! Currently, Congress is involved in the budget reconciliation process. The good news is that the House has proposed a bill that includes critical provisions that would increase protections for nursing home residents. These provisions would lead to a minimum staffing standard, improve the survey and enforcement process, improve the accuracy and reliability of data submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and increase scrutiny of Medicare cost reports.
However, the Senate has not yet proposed a bill, and it is not clear that the nursing home provisions will be included. It is also not guaranteed that these provisions will remain in the House bill. Congress is currently in negotiations, and many provisions are on the chopping block. We are gravely concerned that these important nursing home provisions will not make it into the final reconciliation bill.
After the loss of over 186,000 residents of long-term care facilities to COVID-19 and the prolonged suffering of other residents, it would be a travesty to not have increased protections included into the reconciliation bill.
That’s why we urgently need your help!
Please complete this form to reach out to your Congressmembers and tell them to support these provisions!
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New Episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. In this episode, we are sharing a discussion that was held on Facebook Live around residents' rights in nursing homes. Lori Smetanka, Consumer Voice’s Executive Director, and Jocelyn Bogdan, Program and Policy Specialist at Consumer Voice talk about what impact COVID-19 has had on residents and their exercising of rights, they also provided an overview of residents' rights that exist in federal law.
Listen to the episode at: theconsumervoice.org/pursuingquality.
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Webinar Tomorrow on Protecting Residents from Evictions in Residential Care Communities
Join the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) for a webinar tomorrow October 27th at 3:00pm ET on Protecting Residents from Inappropriate Evictions in Residential Care Communities. Join this webinar to learn about federal and state legal tools and advocacy strategies to defend residents of residential care communities (RCCs) from inappropriate evictions.
Eric Carlson of Justice in Aging will provide an overview of common state laws that may be utilized for eviction protection and explain how the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Rule requires protections against inappropriate eviction for residents living in residential settings funded by Medicaid HCBS programs (e.g., RCCs).
Attendees will also hear about state and local advocacy strategies to address evictions of residents in RCCs. Amanda Scott, Idaho State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and Molly Davies, Vice President of Elder Abuse Prevention and Ombudsman Services, WISE & Healthy Aging, California Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, will share their work.
Register Now
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Consumer Voice Executive Director Writes About Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes for American Society on Aging
Recent investigative reports from the New York Times revealed increases in schizophrenia diagnoses for residents, with higher rates of diagnoses for Black residents, purportedly to prescribe antipsychotic drugs. In light of these reports, Consumer Voice Executive Director Lori Smetanka wrote an article for the American Society on Aging's Generations about the spike in antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes.
Read the article.
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New Medicaid.gov Page on State Actions to Expand Medicaid HCBS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a “one stop shop” on Medicaid.gov to make it easy for stakeholders to find information about how states are planning to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and community-based services (HCBS) across the country using new Medicaid funding made available by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The web page includes states’ ARP section 9817 spending plans and narratives, letters issued to states on their spending plans and narratives, and other important information related to the implementation of ARP section 9817.
For more information, read the press release from CMS.
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