Bloomberg Law: Justices Allow Civil Rights Suits for Federal Safety Net Programs (June 8, 2023)
Injured parties can still sue states for violating federal safety net programs like Medicaid and Medicare after the US Supreme Court refused to overturn longstanding precedent.
The justices on Thursday refused to adopt a wholesale rule carving out so-called spending clause legislation from a federal law that allows people to sue for civil rights violations. Such laws allow Congress to set minimum standards for state-run federal programs.The court further said in a 7-2 opinion that nursing home patients could sue state-run facilities for violations of the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act.
The court’s ruling will have a broad impact, Eric Carlson, director of long-term services and supports advocacy at Justice in Aging, said.
“The ruling is a strong statement that legal rights are not meaningful unless they can be enforced,” Carlson said in a statement. “And the stakes for many people are incredibly high—the right not to be evicted from a nursing facility, for example, or to receive needed health care in a timely fashion.
