In the Nursing Home, Empty Beds and Quiet Halls

The most recent quarterly survey from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care reported that nearly one nursing home bed in five now goes unused, with an occupancy rate of 81.7%. Bill Kauffman, senior principal at the center, said “The industry as a whole is under pressure, and some operators are having difficulty.”

Nicholas Castle, a health policy researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, estimated that “200 to 300 nursing homes close each year.” The number of residents of nursing homes have been decreasing, which can be a bit surprising as the country’s population as a whole is aging. But the financial hardships of increasing costs for long-term care as well as regulatory stipulations cause those that may want to enter these type of facilities to be hindered. Under the Affordable Care Act, for instance, hospitals face financial penalties for readmissions, and Medicare won’t cover skilled nursing care for these patients after their initial discharge.

“You have increased alternatives, like assisted living, and other ways for people to stay at home,” said Ruth Katz, senior vice president of public policy at Leading Age.

See Paula Span, In the Nursing Home, Empty Beds and Quiet Halls, New York Times, September 28, 2018.

Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.