U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly highlighted a need to rethink the nation’s long-term care landscape in recent months, partly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic but also because of the country’s rapidly changing demographics. A recently published budget report from the House Appropriations Committee obtained by Home Health Care News offers further insight into that call […]
Category: Legislation
When a public health emergency was declared last March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a variety of waivers allowing home health providers to more easily provide telehealth services during the crisis. Now, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced an audit, dubbed the “HHA Telehealth Project,” that will examine home […]
7When the House Energy and Commerce Committee included new Medicaid provisions to the ever-changing $1.9 trillion relief package, home-based care operators were pleased to see a hefty rate bump for home- and community-based care (HCBS). The draft legislation specifically called for a 7.35% rate increase for states to enhance HCBS during the pandemic. There appears […]
In January, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a proposed budget that included a slew of cuts to make up for the $15 billion deficit that the state was facing amid the ongoing public health emergency. On Wednesday, the Home Care Association of New York State (HCA-NYS) released a report that explained how some of […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled his executive budget proposal for the state in January. Its litany of cost-saving cuts could leave home-based care providers vulnerable, industry stakeholders caution. Specifically, the proposed budget would mean a 50% reduction in home care workforce recruitment and retention funding, as well as a 1% reduction for Medicaid providers […]
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has proposed some major Medicaid provisions to the $1.9 trillion relief package making its way through Congress. If enacted, the measures would benefit home-based care providers across the U.S., at least in the short term. Specifically, the draft legislation includes a two-year, 5% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) boost […]
Home-based care providers are dealing with an ongoing pandemic and simultaneously tackling vaccine education, procurement and distribution. Now, a slew of legislative labor provisions are threatening to disrupt both home health and home care agencies across the country. After President Joe Biden was inaugurated, his administration released a fact sheet that said “workers have a […]
In-home care advocates are once again urging the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers to be cautious in their quest to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. A $15 an hour minimum wage is just one aspect of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan to shore up Americans’ finances as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Other […]
In President Joe Biden’s first few days of office, he has signed a slew of executive orders, some of which may have an immediate effect on home health and home care agencies. One executive order, for example, laid the groundwork for a $15 minimum wage. The “Fight for $15” has long been a complicated issue […]
Before President Joe Biden was sworn in on Wednesday, he had already unveiled plans for another massive stimulus package, one that could help home-based care providers in some ways — and hurt them in others. Under the new president’s “American Rescue Plan,” for instance, there would be $400 billion put forth to increase COVID-19 testing […]