Press Releases

Today, Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) issued the following statement in response to the White House’s finalization of the Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule.
 
"It’s disappointing to see the White House go ahead with this disastrous and unworkable rule that will hurt Kansas’ seniors," said Rep. Estes. "I am a staunch advocate for our seniors and want them to receive the best care, but the health care workforce is simply not strong enough to support the numbers mandated by the Biden administration – instead, the administration should work with leaders in Congress to actually address these workforce shortages, like my bipartisan Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act does." 
 
Background 
The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule would significantly increase federally mandated staffing levels in nursing homes in two ways. First, the rule requires every nursing home in the nation to have an RN on-site at all times, which is much more than the current requirement of eight hours daily, five days weekly. It would separately impose new minimum staffing ratios, requiring a certain number of RNs and CNAs per resident per day. Rep. Estes detailed the problems with this rule in an op-ed in November, which also explains how his common sense bill, the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act, constructively seeks to address the workforce challenges nursing homes face.