An analysis published in the New York Times Sunday examined the efforts of some of the country’s largest nursing home companies to assemble lobbyists to help advocate for protection against lawsuits, tax breaks and additional government aid amidst the pandemic.
The news organization noted that many of the lobbyists have close ties to the Trump administration. These include Brian Ballard, who formerly lobbied on behalf of the president’s business. He was hired by nursing home owner Eliezer Scheiner. Genesis Healthcare also hired two former top White House aides as lobbyists, and Life Care Centers of America has employed four former Republican Senate aides to advocate to Congress on behalf of the company.
The article also noted that the former chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recently was hired by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living to work on legislative issues related to the virus, according to federal lobbying records.
These lobbyists already have helped the owners of large nursing homes gain one potentially lucrative victory, the news outlet noted: the exemption of nursing home companies in July from a 2017 law curtailing how much interest large companies can deduct from their taxes.
“The change could effectively lower the federal tax bills for many nursing-home operators,” the news organization reported.
This article appeared in the McKnight’s Business Daily, a joint effort of McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
