Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 — Plain Language Summary **What the Bill Would Do:** This bill would require nursing homes and similar long-term care facilities to allow family members and designated caregivers to visit residents, even during emergencies or public health crises. Currently, facilities can restrict or ban visitors during emergencies (like pandemics). Under this bill, facilities could only temporarily limit caregiver access for up to 7 days during an emergency, or 14 days if a state health department approves an extension. **Who It Affects:** The bill applies to nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
It directly impacts residents of these facilities (who would have guaranteed visitation rights), their family members and caregivers, and the facilities themselves. The restrictions would apply during normal operations and during declared emergencies. **Current Status:** The bill was introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and is currently in committee, meaning it's under review and has not yet been voted on by the full Senate. The bill includes provisions requiring caregivers to follow safety protocols established by facilities.
CRS Official Summary
Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 This bill prohibits certain health care facilities from limiting the access of essential caregivers to residents of those facilities, including during designated emergency periods. Specifically, the bill generally prohibits Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, Medicaid intermediate care facilities, and associated inpatient rehabilitation facilities from restricting the access of essential caregivers to residents of the facilities, including during emergency periods in which visitation rights are otherwise restricted. During emergency periods, facilities may restrict access for an initial period of up to seven days and for one additional maximum seven-day period (if the additional period is approved by the state health department). Facilities may restrict access for a total of 7 days (or 14 days with the approval of the state health department) during an emergency period.Essential caregivers must agree to comply with any safety protocols set by the facility, which may be no more stringent for caregivers compared to those for staff. Caregivers who fail to comply with these requirements may be denied access, subject to an appeals process.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.