Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released the following statement after the Biden administration announced its final Minimum Staffing Rule and Medicaid Access Rule: 

“The President’s one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to long-term care is an unfunded mandate that will drive up costs and threaten access for patients. The minimum staff-to-patient ratio is unworkable for nearly 80 percent of nursing homes, requiring facilities to increase costs for patients or close their doors to new patients. The so-called ‘access rule’ creates untenable standards for home health agencies to meet. Both rules in practice will result in reduced access to care for those that need it most and their families."

BACKGROUND: 

The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing in October 2023, after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed the rules. Witnesses, including providers and former state officials, criticized the rules for putting access to care in jeopardy for millions of Americans. 

Chair Rodgers also joined House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) in urging the administration to withdraw the minimum staffing rule. 

Reps. Greg Pence (R-IN) and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced H.R. 7513, the Protecting America’s Seniors Access to Care Act, which would block the finalization of the Minimum Staffing Rule.