Last week Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act of 2008 in the HOuse. This important legislation would make "binding mandatory arbitration" not binding anymore in nursing home contracts. This came about a month after United States Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) presented the same legislation in the US Senate.
This legislation is intended to protect the rights of residents of nursing homes in how they choice to dispute an issue. Binding mandatory arbitration has been getting more and more attention as companies continue to put these unfair conditions in everything from credit card agreements to car insurance policies to employment applications. Binding mandatory arbitration requires that consumers forgo their rights to address their grievances in front of a judge and jury.
We need to make sure that our elderly and frail are able to get their day in court. Hopefully this legislation will get passed and start getting back some of the rights that corporate America has been successful at stripping away from us.
To find out more about the dangers of binding mandatory arbitration check out the Public Citizen website.