Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) has introduced the Long-Term Care Transparency Act, a bipartisan effort aimed at improving health outcomes and accountability in long-term care facilities across the country.
The legislation, co-sponsored by Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Don Davis (D-NC), and Claudia Tenney (R-NY), would require state Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman programs to share their findings with Congress. These programs, authorized under the Older Americans Act, investigate complaints and monitor care quality in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. While they currently report data to the Administration on Aging (AoA), they are not required to make that information available to lawmakers.
Langworthy emphasized that greater transparency will lead to better oversight and ultimately improve the care provided to America’s seniors.
“Our seniors, particularly those in long-term care facilities, are one of our most vulnerable populations who oftentimes don’t have anyone to advocate for them,” Langworthy said. “It’s great that we have an Ombudsman program to investigate problems, but that information is only valuable if it’s made available to Congress, who are responsible for crafting public policy.”
In 2022 alone, the Ombudsman program investigated over 198,000 complaints and provided information to more than 407,000 people. Supporters of the bill argue that making this data public will allow policymakers to address gaps in care and hold facilities accountable.
“This commonsense legislation will go a long way toward identifying gaps in care and will help ensure better health outcomes for our seniors,” Langworthy added.
The bill has received support from major senior advocacy groups, including the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs and the Elder Justice Coalition. Patricia Hunter, president of NASOP, called the bill “an important step in promoting transparency and higher quality care.” Elder Justice Coalition coordinator Bob Blancato also praised the initiative, calling it “both appropriate and overdue.”
The legislation, previously introduced in the 118th Congress, will be reviewed by key Senate and House committees, including the Special Committee on Aging and the Committee on Education and Workforce. If passed, the law would require the AoA to submit Ombudsman program findings to these committees, ensuring lawmakers have access to critical data on senior care facilities nationwide.
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