A Biden administration proposal to impose minimum staffing levels on nursing homes is being criticized by some Democrats, specifically those in rural areas, The Hill reported.
Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire joined with 20 Republicans in a letter opposing the proposal.
"In many parts of the country, America's long-term care facilities are facing severe workforce shortage issues that are harming access to critical care for our nation's seniors," Tester wrote.
"With this in mind, we are deeply concerned that now is the worst possible time for the United States to establish the nation's first federal staffing mandate for long-term care facilities," he added.
Two independents that caucus with Democrats, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Angus King of Maine, also signed the letter.
Meanwhile, Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., led a complementary letter in the House with Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.
Other Democrats and unions have applauded the administration's move toward strengthening the requirements but believe it does not go far enough.
"Residents deserve the best of care from highly trained, fairly compensated, and sufficiently numbered staff. We therefore strongly urge you to quickly strengthen and finalize" the proposal, 101 House Democrats wrote.
The administration's proposal follows a study published by the American Health Care Association in June that found 95% of nursing homes do not meet at least one of the three proposed staffing requirements.
However, the industry trade group warned that the Biden administration rule would "only result in negative, unintended consequences for residents, staff, and the entire healthcare system," The Hill noted.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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