Lansing, Michigan — State lawmakers got an earful this week about what life looks like inside some of Michigan’s worst nursing homes — and advocates didn’t hold back.
At a Senate Oversight Committee hearing, officials from the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program described residents going weeks without showers, eating burned or meager meals, and lying in beds soaked through from inadequate care.
“One resident asked us what they did wrong, because they felt like they were in prison,” said Salli Pung, who directs the ombudsman program. “Another resident said he felt like he was a plant in the corner that the staff just had to water to keep alive.”
The hearing came months after a detailed investigation documented at least 5,915 cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or serious care violations in Michigan nursing homes over the past four years. Facilities have been fined more than $21.5 million over three years and denied 6,451 days of Medicaid reimbursements. Nearly three dozen residents died of suspected abuse or neglect during that period.
What Advocates Are Asking For
Advocates handed lawmakers a four-point reform agenda:
- Raise minimum staffing levels — Michigan’s current requirements lag behind what many other states now mandate
- Tie Medicaid reimbursements to quality and staffing performance — so facilities that cut corners on care also take a financial hit
- Mandate spending floors for resident care — requiring that a defined portion of Medicaid dollars actually reach the bedside
- Expand audit authority for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to scrutinize nursing home finances more closely
Alison Hirschel, director of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, told senators that none of this oversight is possible without dedicated staff to do the work. “We recognize none of this oversight happens without staff to really do a deep dive,” she said.
Industry Pushback
Not everyone at the hearing agreed with the reform agenda. A nursing home industry representative countered that Michigan facilities already provide more hours of care than many other states and argued that facilities don’t hide profits. Republican Sen. Ed McBroom said the state health department — which drew criticism for its handling of nursing home policies during the COVID pandemic — shouldn’t be given expanded oversight authority.
The tension reflects a familiar dynamic playing out in statehouses across the country. As Iowa nursing homes keep getting cited for understaffing without facing meaningful penalties, advocates in multiple states are pushing for enforcement mechanisms with real teeth.
What Comes Next
Michigan’s legislature hasn’t committed to any specific legislation yet, but the hearing signals that the political pressure is building. With more than 44,500 residents living in roughly 427 nursing homes statewide, the stakes are significant.
The proposals mirror reforms already adopted in other states — and advocates say Michigan is running out of excuses for not catching up.
