Nebraska officials celebrate court’s block of ‘big government’ nursing home staffing mandate

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A federal court on Wednesday blocked a proposed nursing home staffing mandate.

The rule, which came the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2023, would have required a registered nurse to be available 24/7 at nursing homes.

It also would have mandated that residents of long-term care facilities receive a minimum number of daily nursing hours.

SEE ALSO: Federal nursing home staffing mandate would be ‘disastrous’ for Nebraska, officials say

The decision was celebrated by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who said the order would have put nursing homes out of businesses.

“The big government, one-size-fits-all rule promulgated by the Biden Administration would have threatened the viability of nursing homes doing their best to provide exceptional care to those who need it,” Hilgers said in a press release.

He said 97% of nursing homes would have been out of compliance with the proposed nursing staff ratio.

Pillen said the mandate “was issued without regard for the needs of rural America.”

Nebraska joined 19 other states in a lawsuit arguing that agency overstepped its authority with the rule.