Price of proposed nursing home staffing mandate? Try $11.3B a year, new AHCA report finds

The American Health Care Association Thursday released an updated report from accounting and consulting firm CliftonLarsonAllen detailing the costs of a potential federal staffing mandate for America’s nursing homes. 

“Unfunded staffing mandates do not create jobs or attract individuals to apply,” Holly Harmon, RN, AHCA’s senior vice president of quality, regulatory and clinical services, said in a statement. “ Investing in our caregivers, developing recruitment programs, and building a pipeline of caregivers will help us rebuild the long-term care workforce.”

“If Washington wants to increase staffing in nursing homes, then they need to put their money where their mouth is. Otherwise, we’ll fail to address the underlying issue here, and our residents will have fewer long-term care options,”  Harmon said.