Nursing home capacity is declining just as more Americans are reaching ages when long-term care needs become more common. A recent New York Times report notes that the number of Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities fell by more than 900 from 2015 to 2025, while research published in JAMA Internal Medicine found national nursing home capacity dropped 5% from 2019 to 2024. Providers cited Medicaid reimbursement and persistent workforce shortages among the factors limiting available beds.
Read The New York Times report on declining nursing home capacity.