This bill, titled the Take Back Our Hospitals Act of 2026, would prohibit Medicare from paying hospitals or skilled nursing facilities owned or controlled by private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, or corporations owned by those funds. The law defines control as owning 10 percent or more of voting securities or having the power to direct management and policies through contracts or other means. Facilities currently owned by these firms would have a three-year transition period before the prohibition takes full effect. The bill also establishes joint and several liability, meaning the owning firm would be responsible for any penalties if the facility violates the rule, and provides for notice, hearings, and judicial review for affected facilities.
This bill, titled the Take Back Our Hospitals Act of 2026, would prohibit Medicare from paying hospitals and skilled nursing facilities owned or controlled by private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, or corporations owned by private equity funds. The law defines ownership control as holding 10 percent or more of voting securities and includes provisions for a three-year transition period for existing facilities before the ban takes full effect. Facilities found in violation would face penalties, and the owning firms would be held jointly and severally liable for those penalties. The measure aims to restrict investment by specific financial entities in healthcare facilities that receive Medicare funding.
HR 1683 blocks the implementation of a new federal staffing rule for nursing homes (published May 2024) and creates an advisory panel focused on rural nursing home workforce challenges. The bill directly affects rural skilled nursing facilities and seniors who rely on care in these facilities by halting the rule and requiring the panel to assess staffing shortages in rural and underserved areas. The panel, composed of 17 members including rural representatives from nursing staff, facilities, and state boards, must report within 60 days on workforce barriers and recommend solutions to reduce regulatory burdens. Subsequent annual reports will track progress on strengthening the nursing home workforce, particularly in rural communities.
HR 1303, the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act, would block the federal government from enforcing a 2024 rule requiring nursing homes to meet minimum staffing standards and mandating Medicaid programs to report payment transparency details. This bill directly affects long-term care facilities and Medicaid programs by preventing the implementation of these specific requirements. The legislation prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from carrying out the rule published on May 10, 2024, which was designed to improve care quality and accountability in senior healthcare. It stops the rule from taking effect without creating new policies or regulations.
This bill blocks the implementation of a new federal staffing rule for nursing homes, specifically halting the May 2024 rule requiring minimum staffing levels in long-term care facilities. It directly affects rural nursing facilities and their workforce by preventing a regulation that could increase operational demands. The bill creates a 17-member advisory panel with mandatory rural representation to study nursing home staffing shortages, analyze regulatory impacts, and recommend solutions to strengthen the workforce. The panel must submit annual reports to Congress and the public, focusing on barriers to care access in rural and underserved areas. This is a procedural measure stopping a specific rule while establishing a review mechanism, not a direct funding or service change.
HJRES 58 is a procedural resolution requesting Congress reject a rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for 2025. The rule would have set payment rates, quality reporting standards, and other policies for home health care services under Medicare, including updates for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) treatments. This resolution, if passed, would block the CMS rule from taking effect, directly affecting home health care providers and Medicare beneficiaries who rely on these services. It does not create new policy but aims to prevent the implementation of the specific 2025 Medicare home health regulations.
