Two months after Democrats unveiled a policy framework to add a home care benefit within Medicare, lawmakers introduced a bill that, if passed, would make the benefit a reality. The new bill, called the Medicare At Home Act, would add a home care benefit to Medicare Part B. “Americans overwhelmingly and strongly believe Medicare […]
Category: Legislation
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made a dramatic shift in the way it enforces policies that have long been used to support people with disabilities’ ability to receive services in home and community settings. Specifically, the DOJ said it will no longer rely on its longstanding guidance interpreting Olmstead v. L.C., a […]
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced legislation that, if passed, would improve health information sharing among home health, long-term care and post-acute care providers. The bill, called the Connecting Health and Records Technology for Seniors (CHARTS) Act, aims to ease the burden of implementing electronic health records for healthcare agencies through grants […]
When I started covering home-based care, I did not anticipate that the industry would become a flashpoint in partisan politics, beyond familiar debates about reimbursement rates and the finer points of regulations. So, I’ve been surprised — and disturbed — by developments this year. The latest came this week: the U.S. Centers for Medicare & […]
Last week, a group of Democratic senators unveiled a framework that would add non-medical home care to Medicare and make home- and community-based services a requirement under Medicaid. If actualized (with sufficient reimbursement and structural supports), this framework lays the foundation for a whole new world for non-medical home care. More than that, it signals […]
On Wednesday, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) introduced a bill that would increase oversight of Medicare home health and hospice, legislation that was welcomed by the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance). The Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act is designed to bolster Medicare oversight, crack down on scammers, protect seniors from fraudulent […]
Yesterday, CMS announced six-month moratoria on home health and hospice Medicare enrollment. While there have been rumblings that CMS would take fairly drastic action to curb home health and hospice fraud, the moratorium represents a blunt instrument to do so. The moratoria apply to new home health and hospice agencies and new branch locations. It […]
In November, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced significant cuts for home health aide and homemaker codes in Texas and New Mexico – and providers are feeling the impacts. While some organizations are faring well despite the cuts, others have had to make difficult decisions because of the 43% cut for much of rural […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new set of quality measures for Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) for 2028. While the proposal’s 23 mandatory measures target state-level reporting, experts say its impacts would likely ripple down to HCBS providers. The proposed measures, published on Monday, are not likely to […]
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill that would tighten oversight of Medicare Advantage plans, whose low reimbursement rates have added margin pressure for home health care providers. The bill, called the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026, would hasten prior authorizations, increase transparency, align coverage criteria with traditional Medicare and expand access […]
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