When President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, he will face a long-term care crisis marked by understaffed nursing homes, workforce shortages and care that is unaffordable and inaccessible for millions of people.
But he and the Republican-controlled Congress are likely to focus on relaxing regulations rather than imposing new mandates on nursing homes and long-term care, an approach similar to what Trump did in his first term.
For example, unless congressional Republicans manage to do so as part of negotiations over the upcoming continuing resolution, Trump is likely to roll back a Biden administration rule that requires minimum numbers of staff in nursing homes, a policy President Joe Biden said would improve care for residents but which the industry and Republicans said was an unfunded mandate that would force facilities to close.
