March 29, 2024 Washington, DC — Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes, on the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System FY2025 proposed rule (CMS 1802-P):

“Our nonprofit, mission-driven skilled nursing provider members welcome any increase in payment rates, and we appreciate the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) proposed 4.1% increase. At the same time, our members are struggling to stay above water with inflation-induced increased operating costs, including workforce, when there is already a nationwide shortage of direct care workers. There is no issue more pressing for nursing homes than the workforce crisis—and that’s having a direct impact on older adults and families that need care. The bottom line is, without staff, there is no care, and the national caregiver crisis is happening in real time. Policymakers in Congress and the administration must deliver immediate support to expand and enhance the workforce. Every month they wait to confront the growing difficulties in access to care will mean hardships for more older adults and more American families.”