Litigation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Litigation [Abstract]

Litigation

Litigation

The Company has been and is currently involved in litigation and claims incidental to the conduct of its business, which it believes are generally comparable to other companies in the senior living and healthcare industries, including, but not limited to, putative class action claims from time to time regarding staffing at the Company’s communities and compliance with consumer protection laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Certain claims and lawsuits allege large damage amounts and may require significant

costs to defend and resolve. As a result, the Company maintains general liability, professional liability, and other insurance policies in amounts and with coverage and deductibles the Company believes are appropriate, based on the nature and risks of its business, historical experience, availability, and industry standards. The Company's current policies provide for deductibles for each claim and contain various exclusions from coverage. Accordingly, the Company is, in effect, self-insured for claims that are less than the deductible amounts and for claims or portions of claims that are not covered by such policies and/or exceed the policy limits.

Similarly, the senior living and healthcare industries are continuously subject to scrutiny by governmental regulators, which could result in reviews, audits, investigations, enforcement activities or litigation related to regulatory compliance matters. In addition, as a result of the Company's participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the Company is subject to various governmental reviews, audits and investigations, including but not limited to audits under various government programs, such as the Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC), Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPIC), and Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPIC) programs. The costs to respond to and defend such reviews, audits, and investigations may be significant, and an adverse determination could result in citations, sanctions and other criminal or civil fines and penalties, the refund of overpayments, payment suspensions, termination of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs, and/or damage to the Company's business reputation.