Fine print buried in nursing home admissions contracts is depriving nursing home residents and their families of their constitutional rights. During the incredibly stressful nursing home admissions process, many nursing home corporations push residents and their families into signing away their right to go to court — even in instances when residents suffer severe neglect, serious injuries, death or sexual and physical abuse.

Nursing homes should focus on helping elderly individuals live in dignity and thrive with the support of caring professionals and not on protecting themselves when they harm residents with poor care.
Sign the petition: Forced arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts must be banned in order to restore the rights of residents and their families.

Forced arbitration clauses are unfair terms that block seniors from accessing the court system. Instead, they are pushed into private, biased arbitration forums where decisions are often made by the industry’s handpicked arbitration firms where there are no appeals, no accountability and no transparency. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, is currently considering ending forced arbitration for nursing homes that receive public funding (nearly all).

CMS can require nursing homes that want to receive taxpayer funds to stop forcing residents to sign away their rights. It can restore residents’ rights and choice by permitting arbitration only after disputes arise, making arbitration truly voluntary. The nursing home industry should no longer be allowed to force victims into a rigged system because they signed a document during the stress and confusion of admission to their facilities

Claims against nursing homes can be heartbreaking. The frail elderly living there rely upon caretakers hired by nursing home corporations for their medical, physical and other daily needs. Neglect and abuse cause tremendous suffering in the final years of life. If anything, the rights of today’s seniors in nursing homes should be strengthened, not weakened.

Let’s send a strong message to CMS and urge the agency to prioritize the rights of seniors over corporate interest. Add your name right now. Tell CMS: America’s seniors should not have to sacrifice their rights to protect corporate profits.