U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., recently urged Congress to open an investigation into the "horrific practices and pervasive failures" of the nursing home industry in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely facilities owned by real estate investment trusts.
"It is Congress's job to stand in-between greedy corporations and those who are the most defenseless," Mr. Rush wrote in the April 1 letter.
Mr. Rush said the first step is transparency and urged a hearing featuring expert testimony from industry leaders.
"I know that from such a hearing, we will hear exactly why the concentration of nursing homes by corporations is so horrific for our nation, and I am confident that it will lead to concrete recommendations to address this issue," Mr. Rush wrote. "We cannot afford to wait."
The letter preceded a scathing April 6 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine calling the federal management of the industry "ineffective, inefficient, fragmented and unsustainable." There has been increased scrutiny on the industry since President Joe Biden announced plans to reform the industry on a federal level Feb. 28.