The Biden Administration has recently announced new regulations aimed at increasing staffing at nursing homes and boosting pay for home care workers in order to improve care for elderly adults and people with disabilities. However, these rules will take years to be fully implemented. The new nursing home rule requires facilities to provide at least 3.48 hours of daily care for each resident, with 80 percent of Medicaid payments going towards staff compensation for home care agencies.
The regulations acknowledge the nationwide staffing shortage affecting various healthcare facilities. Nursing homes must have sufficient nurses and aides to provide a minimum of 3.48 hours of daily care per resident, with at least 0.55 hours from an RN and 2.45 hours from an aide. Facilities will have several years to meet these new standards, with waivers available for those facing staffing challenges. The new rules will phase in gradually, with some facilities having up to five years to meet all standards.
Some solutions to staffing shortages, such as raising wages and improving working conditions, are within the control of facility operators. The Administration is also taking steps to help facilities recruit staff, such as offering financial incentives for nurses to work in nursing homes and providing aid for training programs. However, constraints such as immigration laws and a reluctance to take on direct care work pose challenges beyond the control of facilities.
In a separate rule, states will have six years to comply with a requirement that Medicaid home care agencies allocate 80 percent of their payments to staff compensation. This rule will apply to firms providing home care for Medicaid recipients, with additional authority granted to states to grant waivers and set separate rules for small home care firms. The rule also requires states to disclose waiting lists for home-based care and wait times for services.
Biden’s new staffing rules are ambitious but their success will not be known for many years. The regulations aim to address staffing shortages in nursing facilities and improve care for elderly adults and people with disabilities, but challenges such as funding constraints and labor shortages must be overcome for the rules to be effective in the long term. The new rules may have a significant impact on the quality of care provided in nursing homes and home care agencies once implemented fully in the coming years.
