LINCOLN- Some Nebraska advocates and lawmakers are concerned that more nursing homes will close their doors in light of a now-finalized federal rule concerning minimum staffing requirements. In May, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a rule that will set the minimum number of daily nursing hours that must be provided to each resident at 3.48 per day.

The new rule will also require that a registered nurse be on hand at all times. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the agency administrator, said that the changes are meant to ensure that eligible people can benefit from the "critical lifeline" of health coverage. The rule came in response to mass nursing home closures, which were prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who introduced legislation to prevent the rule's publication, also sought to establish an advisory panel on nursing home workforce issues. The bill, however, was referred to the Senate's Committee on Finance and no action has been taken. Gov. Jim Pillen also spoke out against the change during a property tax town hall in Grand Island. "For crying out loud," Pillen told the crowd, "we don't have enough registered nurses to do that."

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