Providers have every right to dread what’s coming

It’s probably safe to say very few long-term care operators want to see staffing mandates.

But the time has come to face an unpleasant truth: They are coming.

In fact, the only real surprise in this ongoing saga is that they continue to be delayed. Many industry observers expected the requirement to appear in last week’s rate hike announcement. So a bullet of sorts was dodged. But it would be unwise to confuse a delay with a reprieve.

For now, that leaves operators in a purgatorial state. They know all too well that what’s coming will hurt, they just don’t know how much. Either way, there will be pain.