AHCA/NCAL Addresses Agency Price Gouging
Dana Ritchie
2/7/2022
AHCA/NCAL has heard countless examples from providers of nursing and direct care staffing agencies charging supercompetitive prices to desperate long term care (LTC) centers that simply need workers. Agencies are charging double to quadruple plus of what providers can pay their staff. The staffing agency worker makes only a fraction of what the agency is charging the provider for that worker. Providers have noted that that they have little choice but to pay the exorbitant prices, and hope that the agency does not poach their staff once in the building. It is also important to remember that most LTC centers are paid through the Medicare and Medicaid programs – and thus, taxpayer dollars. This price gouging is simply not sustainable for our providers and the current reimbursement system structure. The money going to these staffing agencies is stripping facilities of funds that should be going to resident care and services.
AHCA/NCAL, along with several other health care providers, have asked that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Administration use its authority to protect consumers from anticompetitive and unfair practices to investigate this activity and take swift appropriate action to protect LTC centers -- and ensure that our nation's elderly and those individual with disabilities receive the quality care they deserve.
Here are just a few examples of the recent efforts around this matter:
Please contact AHCA's Senior Director of Not for Profit and Constituent Services at dritchie@ahca.org if you have any questions, ideas or stories to share around workforce matters.
