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Unions, advocates back study and reporting bill on nursing-home spending and wages; providers urge data clarity
Summary
Supporters of SB 679 said a mandated study and improved cost reporting are needed to understand how nursing-home revenue funds wages and care; nursing-home operators urged alignment with existing cost reports and warned against unintended harm to nonprofit providers.
Supporters of Senate Bill 679 — the Nursing Home Care Crisis Transparency Act — urged the Senate Finance Committee to require a state review of how nursing-home revenue is allocated and whether a regulatory spending floor for direct-care wages should be set.
Speakers from 1199 SEIU and residents’ advocates described understaffing and low pay. Union delegate Rhonda White and long-term care aides told the panel they face unsustainable workloads; advocates said employer ownership structures and related-party transactions can obscure profitability and staffing decisions. Claudia Bellog of 1199 SEIU noted Massachusetts has a regulation requiring a share of facility revenue be spent on direct care and that most Massachusetts homes comply with the standard.
The Department of Health testified in support with amendments to revise cost-report templates and collect more granular data beginning with calendar year 2026 cost reports; the department said the resulting data would inform potential policy options in 2027. Lifespan Network and LeadingAge Maryland opposed aspects of the bill as originally drafted and asked that any new study align with existing cost-report rules, noting Maryland’s cost report is detailed and is audited regularly by Myers and Stauffer.
Legal-aid and Alzheimer’s Association representatives supported the measure with technical clarifications including a requested definition of “revenue” and inclusion of behavioral-health workers in direct-care categories.
The Department supported sponsor amendments and asked the committee to direct the department to revise reporting templates and publish annual data. No committee vote was recorded at the hearing’s close.
