Lawmaker tables nursing home arbitration bill

State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, on Monday tabled a bill that would have created standards for agreements used by nursing homes that ask residents to agree to accept arbitration to settle complaints.

Advocates for elderly Georgians testified last week before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that they feared patients and their families would be pressured into signing away their constitutional right to a jury trial during the often painful and confusing admission process. For nursing homes, Senate Bill 202 would have helped prevent family members who sign an arbitration agreement from later trying to dispute it in court.

Heated debate continued Monday with the committee ultimately unable to reach a compromise. Unterman, who sponsored SB 202, set the bill aside until the Legislature’s next session.