Hunter
01/25/25
A federal judge has upheld new staffing level requirements for nursing homes, blocking a bid by a group of Republican attorneys general attempt to win a temporary injunction.
The Biden administration approved the new requirements for homes that collect taxpayer money through Medicaid and Medicare, requiring a registered nurse to be on site 24/7, and specific hours-per-day minimum for other staffers.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced over $75 million in initiatives to help expand the nursing workforce. There were also provisions in place that would grant waivers if nursing homes tried but failed to find the required workers, and for those in rural areas facing workforce shortages.
Industry officials, Republican governors and attorneys general opposed the rules before they were even approved. Governor Reynolds joined 14 other Republican governors, sending a letter to Biden that said the rule would harm the individuals it’s designed to help.
The staffing mandates were challenged in two separate court cases. One was filed in Texas; the other in Iowa, where Attorney General Brenna Bird categorized the rule as a “Biden-Harris attack on senior care that will force nursing homes out of business.”
US District Judge Leonard T Strand issued the decision blocking the injunction, and pointed out that the requirements don’t begin to take effect until May 2026 at the earliest, and the arguments that the industry will be adversely affected financially were too speculative.