Committee report bolsters Ernst’s nursing homes, elder care reform bill

A recent U.S. Senate Finance Committee report affirms legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) to support elder care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the country, particularly those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This report sheds light on steps Congress can take to better protect nursing homes and their residents, including advancing legislation that I’m supporting to increase PPE and testing,” Sen. Ernst said on Monday, noting that elderly Iowans are some of the most at-risk during COVID-19.

The September Senate Finance report, “COVID-19 and Nursing Homes: What Went Wrong and Next Steps,” recommends policies such as those contained in Sen. Ernst’s bill, the Emergency Support for Nursing Homes and Elder Justice Reform Act of 2020, S. 4182, which she cosponsored on July 2 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

“To help nursing homes promptly identify and contain outbreaks of COVID-19, a portion of Federal COVID-19 relief assistance should be used for the purchase of personal protective equipment and to support diagnostic testing in nursing homes (as proposed by Chairman Grassley and Senators Steve Daines, Martha McSally, and Joni Ernst in the Emergency Support for Nursing Homes and Elder Justice Reform Act of 2020 (S. 4182)),” according to the report.

The bill also would require a portion of any funds received through COVID-19 appropriations to be used for PPE and testing in Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), Medicaid nursing facilities (NFs), and long-term care facilities, including assisted living facilities, as well as for specialized strike teams to address outbreaks in SNFs and NFs, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“Strike teams have shown great promise as a method for helping nursing homes in crisis get their COVID-19 outbreaks under control,” according to the report. “We recommend that jurisdictions receiving federal relief assistance during the COVID-19 emergency period devote some of this funding to the development and maintenance of statewide or regional strike teams for struggling nursing homes, as proposed… in S. 4182.” 

The report also calls on nursing homes to continue submitting payroll data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ensuring there is sufficient transparency concerning the impact of staffing shortages on nursing homes during the pandemic, and that programs authorized by the Elder Justice Act to help promote the health and safety of older Americans living in long-term care facilities be reauthorized as, both items proposed in S. 4182.

“We must ensure that our nursing homes and long-term care facilities have the resources and support they need to provide high-quality care to residents both during and long after this pandemic,” said Sen. Ernst. 

The legislation remains under consideration in the Senate Finance Committee.