Congress To Take a Close Look at Nursing Homes

Dan Frith

Contributor

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Corporate owners of America's nursing homes are in for some strict scrutiny by Congress! It's about time! It's about time America stopped the abuse and neglect so widespread in our long term care facilities. Starting tomorrow, Congressional hearings in both the Senate and the House will feature presentations sure to widely criticize the state of affairs in nursing homes.

"It's been far too long since Congress has focused on nursing home quality issues," warned House Ways and Means Committee Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA), who will lead a morning hearing on ownership and quality issues. "I am concerned about quality issues and lack of accountability, particularly as more and more beneficiaries are now living in private equity-owned homes. While we must not prejudge anything, these changes provide ample reason for us to reinitiate close oversight of this industry to make sure that interests of beneficiaries are protected."

Invited speakers include union and staffing experts known to be highly critical of common practices in the nursing home industry. Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) will lead a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing titled "Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement."

The hearings are a response to a Sept. 23 New York Times front-page story that detailed apparent shortcomings in care by nursing homes recently purchased by private investors who also may have lowered staffing while boosting profits.

Now would be a great time to write your Congressional representative and tell them to clean up the mess and stop allowing the corporate owners of America's nursing homes to put "profits over people."

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Nursing Home and Elder Abuse.