July 29, 2026 Washington, DC—Statement from Jodi Eyigor, vice president, Health Policy, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit and mission-driven providers of aging services, including nursing homes, on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Final Rule (CMS 1843-F), released July 29, 2026:
“Given the current uncertain economic environment, and the increased costs in critical categories including food, energy and wages, the final rule’s modest 2.4% payment rate boost announced today is short of what is needed. Our nonprofit and mission-driven nursing home members strive to provide the highest quality care—and adequate payment is critical.
There are, however, several positives in the final rule. These include the removal of the two COVID vaccination measures from SNF QRP: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel and Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date. Our opposition to these is longstanding: both reflect personal choice and do not reflect or measure quality of nursing home care. That’s even more true now, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations having changed to shared clinical decision-making. Measuring uptake just doesn’t make sense. The second piece of good news in the rule is also one that we’ve long advocated for and recommended: an all-payer data approach. We fully support requiring submission of minimum data set (MDS) data on all skilled nursing facility residents admitted for skilled care regardless of payer because the outcome will be a more complete picture of provider performance and outcome.”
About LeadingAge:
We represent more than 5,300 nonprofit and mission-driven aging services providers serving older adults and touching millions of lives every day. From our national headquarters in Washington, DC, and in collaboration with our state partners representing members active in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, we use advocacy, education, applied research, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership encompasses the entire continuum of aging services, including skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, affordable housing, retirement communities, adult day programs, hospice, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and home-based care. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information, visit leadingage.org.
