Policy & Advocacy

Consumer Voice continues to advocate for a minimum staffing standard and increased transparency in nursing homes, among other advocacy efforts.  See below for a sampling of our recent advocacy priorities:

Transparency and Accountability

Each year nursing homes funnel billions of dollars through related party companies (companies they own) with little to no oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report, Where Do the Billions of Dollars Go?: A Look at Nursing Home Related Party Transactions, provides a detailed look at related parties and how nursing homes potentially use them to hide how much money they are making and to give the illusion that their facilities are not profitable.

In April 2023, Consumer Voice submitted detailed comments regarding a rule proposed by CMS to increase transparency of nursing home ownership.

Staffing

• Our Dignity for All campaign centered the voices of long-term care residents, their family members, and long-term care workers in the discussion of a minimum staffing standard.
• Consumer Voice submitted comments to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to their Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that included requests for information regarding the implementation of a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes and input on measuring health disparities in resident outcomes.  Consumer Voice's comments strongly supported CMS's proposal to implement a minimum staffing standard.

Legislation We're Supporting

The Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act of 2023 would increase funding for the long-term care Ombudsman program; provide funding for long-term care workforce development; and provide grants and training for community-based organizations.

The following bills were introduced during previous Congresses but have not yet been reintroduced:

Linking Investors and Nursing Home Quality (LINHQ) Act would bring transparency into nursing home ownership and financial activity by requiring nursing homes and parties with ownership interests to disclose ownership and financial information each year. 

Infrastructure Modernization Project Related to the Overall Enhancement of Nursing Homes Act (IMPROVE Nursing Homes Act) would provide funding for resident-centered nursing homes by creating a grant program to convert traditional nursing homes into small-house nursing homes with person-centered cultures.

Essential Caregivers Act would permit designated essential caregivers to enter long-term care facilities to provide care and support during a public health emergency.

The Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act of 2021 would increase transparency, accountability, and oversight in nursing homes, improve staffing, and support innovation in the structure and culture of these facilities.

Consumer Voice Policy Framework

In June 2021, Consumer Voice, along with other advocacy organizations, created a framework for nursing home reform post COVID-19. To address the longstanding problems in the long-term care system, as well as those exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we provide a baseline framework with recommendations in six critical areas that need reform:

1.)  Staffing and workforce;
2.)  Regulation and enforcement;
3.)  Ownership and management standards, transparency, and accountability for quality;
4.)  Government payment systems, financial transparency, and accountability;
5.)  Structural changes in the long-term care delivery system; and
6.)  Nursing home redesign and rebuilding.

Long-Term Care Issues & Resources