Add it all up and it suggests
elders’ access to long-term care can no longer be considered the Ameri- can birthright it was once assumed to be.
Unless elected leaders step in to
help, industry leaders warn, matters will only get worse. “We’re at a critical point,” says Harmon. “America is aging, and time is of the essence.” In some respects, the financial
crunch that’s put nursing homes on life support reflects a delayed impact from COVID-19. When the pandemic began to rage
in 2020, families who could afford it began pulling their parents and grandparents out of nursing homes, which were seen as particularly vulnerable to the contagion. Those empty beds caused a significant drop in revenue. Yet as revenues declined, costs
rose. Facilities were forced to invest more in personal protective gear, cleaning supplies, and to duly com- pensate those who suddenly found themselves on the frontlines of a global pandemic, fighting a deadly pathogen. Nurses and doctors on call 24/7
burned out in droves during the pan- demic, and many retired. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis now predicts a nationwide shortage of nurses by 2037. U.S. healthcare currently has a shortfall of about 80,000 regis- tered nurses, according to several estimates. Without enough U.S. nurses and caregivers overall, the question becomes how the long-term care industry can balance their books while providing adequate care going forward. The Biden administration’s
answer to that conundrum was an executive order imposing minimum staffing requirements, thereby forc- ing them to hire more caregivers without defraying the cost of recruit- ment or training.
Hospital Capacity Dangerously Low
L
ike a chronic illness that won’t go away, the healthcare industry is still
struggling to overcome the shortage of hospital beds seen ever since the coronavirus pandemic first hit. Pre-pandemic, hospital occupancy
hovered around 64%. But in the midst of COVID-19 in 2022, 80% of hospital beds were occupied. That unprecedented demand
never declined back to pre-COVID-19 levels. Researchers report that today about 75% of hospital beds are occupied at any given point in time. According to the JAMA Network
Open report issued earlier this year, that 11% jump means America’s hospital industry is projected to face a serious bed shortage in the next seven years. And because hospitals currently lack a healthy level of surplus capacity, experts warn it could spell big trouble if the world is hit by another pandemic. Researchers estimate that by
2032, an aging U.S. population and not enough hospital beds could push occupancy to 85%. At that point, emergency medical responses could begin to face dangerous delays. Also, medication errors and other hospital mishaps would likely become more common. So what’s driving the increased
occupancy rates? Researchers cite a 16% reduction in the number of hospital beds, rather than an increase in the rate of hospitalizations, for the higher level. — D.P.
Industry experts warned the heavy-handed staffing edict would drive even more care facilities out of business, and filed a lawsuit to block it. In April, a Texas federal judge tossed out the executive order, stating it exceeded the regulatory authority granted in the legislation that had been passed by Congress. Clif Porter, president and CEO of the American Health Care Asso-
The Biden staffing mandate risked an industry implosion that could have forced tens of thousands of seniors to relocate as facilities closed, analysts warned.
ciation, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, remarked, “This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nurs- ing homes and displace vulnerable seniors.” Some analysts warned that the
Biden mandate risked an industry implosion that could have forced tens of thousands of seniors to relo- cate as facilities closed. Now attention is turning to how
to put nursing homes on a more stable financial footing, while also improving staffing levels and care. Proposals include stronger
recruitment programs for nurses and nurse aides, and better train- ing programs to help them become fully qualified. That would also help address a larger issue, a lack of U.S. nurses generally. “Every American will age and has
someone they love who is aging and in need of these services,” Harmon tells Newsmax. “The critical value of nursing
homes is not always widely under- stood — until the need is experi- enced. “The countless stories from fam-
ily members and residents who express deep gratitude for the love and care they receive in their nurs- ing home affirms how critical it is that our nation protects the viability of America’s nursing homes. “Seniors deserve to receive high-
quality care at every step of the jour- ney,” she adds.
JUNE 2025 | NEWSMAX 9
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