Court tosses Biden nursing home staffing standard

A federal judge in Texas on Monday threw out a contentious Biden administration policy that would have required first-ever federal staffing minimums at nursing homes.

The big picture: The Trump administration is unlikely to appeal the decision from U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, marking a win for nursing home operators, who argued the standards were unworkable amid a shortage of health care labor.

Zoom in: Nursing homes have plenty of failures when it comes to staffing, infection control and oversight, Kacsmaryk's memo vacating the rule states.

• But while the policy was "rooted in laudable goals," it goes beyond the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' authority, he wrote.

Catch up quick: The staffing standard would have required nursing homes across the country to have a registered nurse on-site at all times, and provide at least 33 minutes of care from an RN per patient per day.

• The requirements were due to be phased in beginning in 2026, with rural facilities getting an extra year.
• Nursing homes filed a lawsuit to overturn the policy last year, arguing CMS didn't have the authority to create the policy, and that it would have created "impossible" standards.

• Labor unions and advocates for the elderly backed the requirements.

What they're saying: The nursing home industry cheered Monday's verdict.

• "This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nursing homes and displace vulnerable seniors," Clif Porter, CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, said in a statement.
• "The court decision not only upholds the rule of law and balance of powers, but it protects access to care for our aging population."