The American Health Care Association (AHCA) recently released its new platform “The Better Way.” In this 2025 policy agenda, AHCA highlights one of its top priorities: bolstering the long-term care workforce by strengthening the nursing pipeline and increasing staff recruitment.
The platform aims to encourage the administration and other lawmakers to work with nursing homes on protecting access to care. By 2030, 18.8 million people will reach the age of 80+. AHCA urges leaders to prioritize, support, and invest in America’s seniors and their caregivers.
Despite strong efforts to recruit and retain workers, nursing homes are still seeing the highest shortage among healthcare sectors. As of 2025, this workforce has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and still requires more than 60,000 additional workers to close this gap. Workforce shortages in long-term care have forced many nursing homes and assisted living facilities to limit or deny new admissions, downsize their facilities, or close altogether.
Among other suggestions, “The Better Way” agenda suggests:
- Building a better pipeline
- Grants and scholarships for ongoing training
- Recruitment and retainment incentives
- Remove barriers to entry for these workers
AHCA’s other policy priorities include protecting Medicaid, strengthening Medicare Advantage, and creating balanced and effective oversight.
This forward-looking policy agenda highlights the need for further investment in America’s aging population. The organization says, “Our work will remain centered on finding efficient and effective solutions that support the continued delivery of high-quality care to our nation’s seniors and individuals with disabilities.”
To read AHCA’s policy agenda, click HERE.