With the kick-off of Congress’ 2025 session, the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has zeroed-in on three newly introduced bills that the advocacy organization believes home-based care providers should be watching. While the full text hasn’t been released yet, the three House bills are related to extending access to veterans’ care, health […]
Category: Legislation
Veterans will have expanded access to at-home care under a new law signed on Thursday by President Joe Biden. The National PACE Association (NPA) on Friday applauded Biden’s signing of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which will enhance veterans’ access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the […]
On Dec. 13, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved an amended version of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. This landmark legislation includes various measures to make home care more accessible to veterans. The bill is now awaiting President Biden’s signature to become law. For almost two years, the Elizabeth […]
On Nov. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final home health payment rule for 2025, updating Medicare policies and rates for home health agencies. But while the payment-related information grabbed headlines, there are plenty of other changes to home health care within the rule that providers should be paying attention […]
Congress has begun discussions on important health care policies set to expire on Dec. 31. On Dec. 3, Republicans submitted a preliminary proposal to Democrats, which includes a three-year extension of Medicare’s telehealth and hospital-at-home programs. They also suggested funding for community health centers and extensions for public health programs in Medicare and Medicaid. The […]
The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) is backing home care-focused legislation introduced by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). The Continuous Skilled Nursing Quality Improvement Act (S.4122) was introduced back in April, and would redefine “private duty nursing services” as “continuous skilled nursing services.” It would also require the Secretary […]
Less than a month before election day, the Democratic and Republican candidates for president are dueling over home-based care plans. Vice President Kamala Harris announced on “The View” this week a proposal that would allow home care to be administered through traditional Medicare. On the same day, former President Donald Trump and his campaign released […]
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) was established as law in 2016 under the 21st Century Cures Act to address fraud and abuse in home-based care delivery. The law provides federal guidelines, but individual states can determine which service codes are included. However, years after nationwide implementation, EVV still remains a burden for home care providers. Simply […]
Lawmakers have introduced federal legislation that aims to address the shortage of health care professionals, including home-based care professionals. On Wednesday, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky), and co-sponsor Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky), introduced H.R.9812 into the House of Representatives. The bill is looking to tackle the dearth of nurses, nurse aides and more, by incentivising states to […]
U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have set their sights on lifting age-based restrictions in the Medicaid buy-in program. Their proposed legislation has the potential to widen the addressable market for home care providers. On Wednesday, the policymakers introduced the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Buy-In Programs Act. If enacted, the legislation would […]