A recent New York Times article reported on the Trump Administration's actions to "ease" nursing home fines for violations of Medicare regulations. Ease is a word that is often used when talking about the lessening of a heavy, and often untenable, burden. It is not the word choice that lawyers like me or the families we represent might use in this situation. In fact, probably a more apt way to frame these reductions is by talking about how much cheaper it will be for nursing homes to violate Medicare. Another might be to highlight how much harder it will be to make nursing homes follow the laws that were designed to safeguard one of our most vulnerable populations.

Nursing homes are lucrative for-profit businesses. The bottom line should not take precedence over the the number of staff, the skill of staff, and the overall quality of the care. This will have an impact on our loved ones.