LeadingAge Minnesota Advocates for Seniors in DC

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Erin Huppert

This week, senior care providers joined LeadingAge Minnesota in traveling to Washington, DC, to advocate for seniors’ access to care. Leaders from several senior care organizations based in Minnesota completed seven visits over 36 hours, reinforcing concerns from across the state about a pervasive workforce shortage.

Carrying experiences and messages from the state’s entire continuum of aging services, we spoke with our Congressional delegation about:

• Our concerns with a proposed CMS rule that would require RN and CNA staffing mandates despite having an insufficient pipeline of workers to fill those positions
• The impact that staffing mandates will have on assisted living, home care, and acute care access
• Our support for ending the CNA lockout to boost training and hiring of this crucial position on our care teams
• The need for targeted immigration policy change to expedite international recruitment in senior care

During these meetings, members of Congress and their staff expressed similar urgency to address workforce needs, and we strengthened support in the House for reversing the impact of CMS’s proposed rule. Our efforts in D.C. were amplified by similar meetings with other state delegations, culminating in the bipartisan introduction of S.3410, the companion bill to Rep. Fischbach’s legislation. This bill would prevent CMS from finalizing this problematic rule.

The House bill, HR 5796, awaits action in House Ways and Means, and the Senate companion was referred to the Committee on Finance. Take action by asking Senator Tina Smith to sign onto S3410 today!

Thank you to the leaders from Benedictine, Cassia, Guardian Angels, Ebenezer, and Presbyterian Homes, who flew to Washington, DC, for this important advocacy on behalf of the seniors we serve.