Title: Nursing Home Pandemic Protection Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Nursing Home Pandemic Protection Act
This bill establishes several requirements for skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities to address the outbreak of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Specifically, the bill requires these facilities to establish crisis plans and to maintain at least a 30-day supply of personal protective equipment to respond to the outbreak. The bill also incorporates a memorandum from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services about new regulations that require skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities to report COVID-19 cases to residents, families, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the requirements took effect May 8, 2020).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4846 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4846

   To establish requirements for skilled nursing facilities, nursing 
 facilities, and assisted living facilities to manage the outbreak of 
                   COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             October 22 (legislative day, October 19), 2020

  Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish requirements for skilled nursing facilities, nursing 
 facilities, and assisted living facilities to manage the outbreak of 
                   COVID-19, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nursing Home Pandemic Protection 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES, NURSING 
              FACILITIES, AND ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES TO MANAGE THE 
              OUTBREAK OF COVID-19.

    (a) Codification of Memorandum Relating to Notification 
Requirements of Cases of COVID-19 That Are Confirmed or Under 
Investigation in Nursing Homes.--The memorandum entitled ``Upcoming 
Requirements for Notification of Confirmed COVID-19 (or COVID-19 
Persons under Investigation) Among Residents and Staff in Nursing 
Homes'' published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 
April 19, 2020 shall have the force and effect of law.
    (b) Crisis Plan for Such Facilities.--The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall ensure that skilled nursing facilities, nursing 
facilities, and assisted living facilities establish, not later than 60 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, a crisis plan to 
manage the outbreak of COVID-19 and other public health emergencies 
within such facilities. Such plan shall outline procedures relating to 
infection control, staffing, personal protective equipment, outside 
medical providers and hospitalizations, and communication with family 
members.
    (c) PPE Requirements for Such Facilities.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall ensure that skilled nursing facilities, nursing 
        facilities, and assisted living facilities establish, not later 
        than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, a 
        plan to maintain access to a minimum amount of personal 
        protective equipment described in paragraph (2) to manage the 
        outbreak of COVID-19 and other public health emergencies within 
        such facilities.
            (2) Minimum amount of ppe described.--For purposes of 
        paragraph (1), a minimum amount of personal protective 
        equipment described in this paragraph is the amount of such 
        equipment for use by the staff and residents of such facilities 
        for a 30-day period.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Nursing facility.--The term ``nursing facility'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 1919(a) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r(a)).
            (2) Skilled nursing facility.--The term ``skilled nursing 
        facility'' has the meaning given such term in section 1819(a) 
        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3(a)).
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