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Insufficient funding and under-staffing, both products of investor greed, are two ingredients that result in increased rates of abuse in nursing homes. According to the AARP, over 1.3 million people live in nursing homes. Studies conducted from 2000 to present have found that the nursing home population will increase in the next few decades. In an industry that is already drastically underfunded and understaffed, this increase is alarming.

A federal government audit found that Illinois leads the country in the total number of nursing home abuse cases. The report recently concluded, examined a period from 2015 to 2016 and found that of 134 cases in which hospitals are treating victims found evidence of physical or sexual abuse or neglect, 17 were from Illinois facilities. Michigan was in second place with 13, followed by Texas with 9, and California with 8. These figures are even more alarming considering that California has more than three-times and Texas more than two times the population of Illinois. Illinois both leads the country in a total number of abuse cases and the number of cases per resident.

The Trump Administration, through announcements released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, illustrated its intent to roll back legal rights enacted under the Obama Administration that made it easier for patients to sue nursing homes for abuse and other violations. Nursing home patients’ rights have come under increasing fire in the Republican-dominated Congress and by the Trump Administration.

The rate of nursing home evictions has gone up dramatically over the last few years. This staggering increase has lawmakers and organizations rushing to implement new policies to cut back on the number of wrongful discharges.

The proposed cuts to Medicaid imperil the millions of retirees who depend on the government program for their nursing home care services. Earlier this year Republicans proposed steep cuts to Medicaid as part of the effort to roll-back the “Obamacare” healthcare reforms. Medicaid pays for the majority of people who reside in nursing homes. Any changes to the program, without alternative funding and support structures, would rile the nursing home industry.