A group of aging and disability advocates sent a letter to House leadership this week in opposition to
HR 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act. The bipartisan legislation would provide immunity to health providers, such as nursing homes, during the COVID-19 crisis. NAELA anticipates Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s draft COVID-19 package later this week to also include immunity provisions. “In the United States, over 54,000 residents of long-term care facilities have died due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, which accounts for roughly 43 percent of all deaths in the country. Stripping residents of their right to hold nursing homes accountable for substandard care will put more residents at risk and inevitably result in increased resident deaths,” states the letter.