New Healthcare Staffing Requirements for Nursing Homes and Medicaid Services: Enhancing Long-Term Care for the Elderly and Disabled

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, major issues in the healthcare workforce have been brought to light, particularly in nursing homes. In response, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have implemented new minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes across the country. Additionally, CMS has set new pay standards for workers in home- and community-based healthcare services funded by federal Medicaid dollars. These changes aim to improve patient care and upgrade the services provided by healthcare aides who support patients with various tasks.

The new rules focus on enhancing long-term care for low-income disabled individuals and the elderly. Medicaid will now allocate more healthcare spending to support workers providing crucial services to patients in need. Jennifer Lav, a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program, states that a significant portion of the rates paid by states to providers must now go directly to the workers, rather than administrative overhead.

In addition to staffing requirements, there are new standards for minimum staffing at nursing homes. According to Robin Rudowitz, vice president and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF, only one in five nursing facilities currently meet these requirements. Employers will have a grace period to adjust and meet the new staffing levels mandated by CMS.

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