MN Rep. Fischbach Introduces Bill To Protect Seniors Access To Health Care

Minnesota US Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach has introduced a bill that would stop the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finalizing a rule about minimum staffing for nursing home facilities.  Her bill is called the Protecting Rural Seniors Access to Health Care Act.  The 7th District Republican says “if the one size fits all staffing ratios issued by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services are put in place, it will devastate facilities across greater Minnesota, forcing them to either decrease the number of patients they serve even further or close their doors entirely.”  Fischbach’s bill would keep the rule from being implemented until the Centers can prove it will not harm patient access or lead to the closing of skilled nursing facilities.  The Minnesota Hospital Association has gone on record supporting Fischbach’s bill.