Senator pledges to repeal new independent contractor rule … Brookdale reports 26th consecutive month of occupancy growth … Opportunistic buys of LTC properties “abundant” … Healthpeak, Physicians Realty Trust stockholders to vote Feb. 21 on proposed merger … HMG Healthcare notifies 75,000 of data breach … 25 nursing homes swept up in wage-withholding investigations … New report offers 4 ideas to meet ‘forgotten middle’ needs … Opinion: President Biden’s staffing mandate would crush nonprofit nursing homes, too