For many, nursing home fix is year's key bill (AB 1502)

Last edited Tue Apr 5, 2022, 12:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Thomas Elias/CaliforniaFocus.net

For the more than 110,000 Californians now residing in California’s more than 1,250 skilled nursing facilities, no legislative bill this year is more important than AB 1502, carried by Democratic Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi of Torrance.

That’s mostly because it aims to clean up the way nursing homes operate by compelling the state to investigate and regulate the homes’ owners and operators.

SNIP

The proposed fix would demand that anyone acquiring more than 5 percent ownership of a home be vetted carefully over 120 days before the takeover date, and face rejection if they have a history of bankruptcies or crimes or lack fiscal resources,

The bill doesn’t spell this out, but such regulation could also end another big problem for nursing home residents, who by federal law are supposed to be asked at least four times yearly if they want to move back into the surrounding community.

MORE: http://www.californiafocus.net

According to the link, "Most nursing homes (as reported by the federal government in 2016), 'never ask, or nearly never ask' residents about (if they want to leave), even if they have the financial resources to move back outside.

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Good news if this bill passes. I believe it is awaiting committee assignment ( https://canhrlegislation.com/ab-1502-muratsuchi-skilled-nursing-facility-ownership-and-management-reform/ ).

I'd like to see some oversight in the consolidation of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities by corporate and private equity as well. This is happening nationwide. The goal is profit chasing, not nursing or elder care. Residents and staff can suffer as much under profiteers as they would under owners with fiscal limitations.

But what I'd REALLY like to see are state owned and operated nursing homes. Same goes for hospitals and labs. Remove the profit incentive.