Lawmakers Seeking To Block Home Health Medicare Cuts

The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 was introduced Thursday. Its largest objective is to prevent further cuts to home health payments in 2024 and beyond. The bill, if passed, would also strip the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of some of its payment-rate setting power and force the The Medicare […]

New Senate Bill Could Make Offering Palliative Care Easier For Home Health Agencies

A group of lawmakers have rolled out a new Senate bill that would direct the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a palliative care-specific payment model demonstration. The bill is dubbed the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) […]

Advocacy Investments Paying Off For Bayada

There’s a good argument to be made that one of the biggest successes in the history of Bayada Home Health Care came from a pre-dinner conversation in a parking lot 14 years ago. It was 2009, and Dave Totaro had just been hired by the company’s founder, Mark Baiada, as Bayada’s first chief marketing officer. […]

Lawmakers Introduce Bill Focused On Strengthening Direct Care Workforce, Resources For Family Caregivers

A group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that not only focuses on improving conditions for professional caregivers, but family caregivers as well. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) — Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging — joined seven other senators in introducing the Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers […]

Why Federal Support For Home-Based Care Is Missing The Mark

Home-based care has experienced a series of symbolic wins in 2023, many of which came from President Biden himself or his administration. But not all home-based care providers feel like victors. Home-based care is a broad term, and there is a large chunk of providers that haven’t felt the warmth from policymakers in Washington, D.C., […]

New Bill Aims To Get Personal Care Covered By Traditional Medicare

A new bill that would remove certain barriers to home-based care will soon be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Expanding Care in the Home Act (ECHA) would, among other things, create a personal care services benefit in Medicare to give aid to beneficiaries who are unable to afford out-of-pocket payments but don’t […]

Providers On Biden’s Executive Order, Home-Based Care ‘Drumbeat That Won’t Be Ignored’

The Biden administration has made mention of home-based care regularly and intentionally during its tenure in the White House. It did so again Wednesday, this time through 50-plus directives for government agencies, many of which were home care-related. Though still just directives, the sitting president making this sweeping of an executive order focused on senior […]

Lawsuit Filed Against HHS Over Home Health Care Shortcomings Dismissed

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed a class action lawsuit that accused the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of failing to properly administer the Medicare home health benefit. The plaintiffs had argued the home health services required under Medicare law were wholly insufficient. Medicare law authorizes coverage […]

NAHC’s Dombi: Home Health Providers Need To Embrace Medicare Advantage Opportunities

With Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment poised to surpass traditional Medicare, home health providers will be forced to engage with plans, or otherwise, be left behind. That’s according to William A. Dombi, the president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). Dombi expressed this viewpoint during his keynote speech at the Illinois HomeCare […]