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Submit Your Comments to CMS on Minimum Staffing Rule by November 6th

Yesterday, Maine Health Care Association submitted a letter to CMS in opposition to the staffing mandate in partnership with the following organizations:
  • Maine Hospital Association
  • Maine Medical Association
  • Maine Osteopathic Association
  • LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire
  • Maine Council on Aging
You can review the letter here.

As a reminder, if you have not submitted your comments, please do so through the ACHA/NCAL Portal. To access the online portal, click here.

The CMS-proposed staffing mandate is not the answer to the ongoing nursing home labor shortage and will only exacerbate this workforce crisis. The mandate could push nursing homes operating on already tight budgets into closing, ultimately reducing access to care. The state has already experienced a decline in access to long term care, with 17 facilities either closing or converting to a lower level of care since the beginning of 2020. This is primarily due to underfunding and the persisting staffing shortage. While nursing homes are eager to hire more staff, the fundamental issue lies in the insufficient pool of available workers.

We ask all MHCA members to please submit comments to CMS by the November 6th deadline.
Staff contact: awesthoff@mehca.org