About 35,000 individual home care workers in Washington will be managed by a private entity rather than the state by 2021, under a law signed Tuesday by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee (pictured above). The divisive measure pitted Democrats and union interests against Republicans and the conservative nonprofit Freedom Foundation, based in the state capital of […]
Since President Donald Trump took office last year, home health industry advocates have been raising red flags over his administration’s positions on immigration. The latest proposals, related to so-called “chain migration” and the expiration of protected status for Haitians, are no exception. Both The New York Times and Kaiser Health News recently reported on the […]
Fast-moving developments on Capitol Hill are all but ensuring that home health care payment reform will be going forward. After the House of Representatives approved a short-term spending bill on Tuesday to fund the government, the Senate introduced its own version Wednesday. Both bills include major health care measures. Among the biggest changes is a new, 30-day […]
A cap on Medicare reimbursement of therapy is forcing providers to adjust their operations and advocate with increasing urgency to federal lawmakers. Under a 1997 law, Congress put an annual cap on the amount of money that Medicare beneficiaries can receive for rehabilitation services. Therapy providers and other stakeholders have long advocated for the cap […]
The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage Family Caregivers Act, or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, passed the Senate on Jan. 9 and is headed to President Donald Trump for his signature. The act is aimed at identifying recommended actions for health care providers, long-term services and supports (LTSS) providers, state and local governments and existing federal programs […]
Apart from home health aides, family caregivers are instrumental to delivering care to patients in the home setting—and now, a bill advocating for the crucial role they play is making its move in Washington. Titled the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017—better known as the RAISE Family Caregivers Act—the bill […]
Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wa., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, introduced the Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources and Care Act (EMPOWER Care Act), which renews and expands the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program. The MFP program, which has seen participation from 43 states and the District of Columbia as of September 2016, promotes transitioning […]
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law to establish a registry for home care workers employed by state-contracted in-home care agencies on Nov. 24. The registry has drawn controversy over whether it sufficiently protects worker privacy. The law requires state-contracted home care workers to include their name, gender, home and mailing addresses, job title and training or certifications. […]
In the nation’s capital, there’s strong momentum to bring hospice benefits into Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. “There is some political inevitability to carving hospice into Medicare Advantage,” said Andrew MacPherson, principal with Washington, D.C.-based Healthsperien, a consulting and legal services firm. MacPherson recently provided a hospice policy update at the annual conference of LeadingAge, an […]
Massachusetts is considering establishing a registry for home care workers under contract with the state that would include personal information, raising concerns about accommodating both client safety and worker privacy. The registry aims to guarantee more consumer protection for seniors using state-contracted home care services. Massachusetts is not the only state to consider home care registries; […]
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