A letter to the President:

                                                                                                  February 6, 2025

President Donald Trump

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington DC, 20500

Dear President Trump:

The Accountability Act was singed in January, 2022.  Recently, CMS distributed 700 million to recruit, train, and retain staff.  GOP from Congress and red states are trying to overturn staffing ratios.  Private equities own 70% of nursing homes.  Their only concern is making money rather than providing real care.  Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care in DC and hundreds of other nurses have worked diligently to bring about Nursing Home Reform.  It has taken years to get this far.  We need to be sure people are vaccinated, protect staffing ratio requirements, require at least 150 hours of teaching and training of nursing aides, and lastly, ensure that facilities upgrade allowing for one person per room to help prevent cross contamination.       

Even more important is a paradigm change in the way nursing homes are funded and managed.  Countries such as France, Japan, and England have government subsidized facilities.  More advanced Healthcare systems have limits on the dollar amount a resident needs to cover.  In America, nursing home rooms run about $10,000 a month minimum.  If we had a government run nursing home program, then families would not have to lose their homes, cars, properties, and life savings.  People have to sacrifice all but their last $2,000 before they can go on Medicaid at the end of their lives.  It would be much more prudent to take care of our elderly with better money management on behalf of the government rather than private equities charging outrageous fees.  While there may be high-end nursing homes that are catering to wealthy, the bulk of nursing homes should be government owned or non-profit. 

Thank you in advance for anything you can do to help ease the pain and suffering of people worried about outliving their money and who will care for them.

                                                                                                      Most sincerely,

                                                                                                      Tyra C. Phipps

Letter to the Former President:

                                                                                January 29, 2021

President Joe Biden

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington DC, 20500

Dear President Biden:

Four out of five nursing homes are now owned by large corporations which are profit driven.  More than 1.5 million seniors over the age of 65 currently live in these nursing homes.  These facilities are lucky if they have a medical director for two hours a week.  In 2018 there were 6,952 gerontologists with only 3,590 practicing in their field.  Physicians in the local community care for residents in nursing homes with monthly room visits.  Frequently, in house nursing staff must relay additional medical information via phone or fax that causes problems with prolonged response times, inaccurate exchange of medical information, and misdiagnosis.  In short, care for the aging population is minimal at best.

Most people do not know that Medicare does not cover nursing, only short-term rehabilitation.  Citizens should not have to sacrifice everything they hoped to pass on to their families in order to live in nursing on Medicaid.  Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson wanted to include nursing with Medicare coverage but the issue never passed Congressional vote.  This issue must be addressed during your term of office.  Medicare needs to cover long-term care.

There is a crisis in America that few people fully understand until they are faced with the difficulty of finding placement for a loved one.  Right now, the serious issues are inadequate care, understaffing, high turnover rates, a poor regulatory system combined with greed make assisted living, skilled nursing, or dementia facilities dangerous places to live.  You are the hope for helping so many who are living out of sight and out of mind in long-term care.

                                                                     Sincerely, 

                                                                     Tyra C. Phipps, Ed. D.

                                                                     Professor Emerita

The Presidents' responded:

                                                                      July 5, 2023

Dear Dr. Phipps,

Thank you for takin time to write me.  I believe we have a moral responsibility to provide Americans with the support they need to maintain their independence and age with dignity.  That’s why I have kept my commitment to stand up for seniors—lowering costs, strengthening Medicare and Social Security, and fighting any efforts to cut these bedrock federal programs.

Last year, I was proud to sign the Inflation Reduction Act into law.  For the first time, Medicare is able to negotiate the price of certain high-cost drugs, a month’s supply of insulin for seniors is capped at $35, and seniors’ out of pocket expenses at the pharmacy will be capped at $2,000 a year.

This historic law builds on progress we have made to improve the lives of seniors across America.  Hearing aids can now be bought over-the-counter.  Family, community, and nursing home care are improving. In so many ways, our seniors are finally getting a little more breathing room.

But Republicans in Congress are threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which would line the pockets of Big Pharma and raise health care costs for seniors.  Some Congressional Republicans even proposed putting Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.  I promise you: If anyone tries to cut Social Security or Medicare, I will stop them.

The strength, resilience, and wisdom of older Americans have made our Nation what it is today, and I will do everything in my power to help them thrive.

                                                                       Sincerely,

                                                                       Joe Biden

What Now:

As of Labor Day, 2023, ABC News reported that the federal government will for the first time dictate staffing levels at nursing homes.  The Biden administration responded to systemic problems bared by mass COVID-19 deaths.  The proposed rules, which now enter a public comment period and would take years more to fully take effect, call for staffing equivalent to 3 hours per resident per day, just over half an hour of it coming from registered nurses.  The rules also call for facilities to have an RN on staff 24 hours a day, every day.

The president said in a USA Today opinion piece, “We are working to make sure no nursing home can sacrifice the safety of their residents just to add some dollars to their bottom line.”

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, called the move “an important first step.” CMS oversees nursing homes.

 The Next Step: 

Join in.  Give of your time.  Email and write to congressional leaders at the state and national levels.  Call and speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.  Address issues such as the lack of and poorly trained staff, abuse, neglect, and Medicare fraud.