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 […]
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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 […]
For the second consecutive year, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has issued a draft recommendation advising Congress to reduce Medicare payments to home health agencies by 7% beginning in 2026. During its December meeting, MedPAC discussed the adequacy of Medicare payments across various provider settings and reviewed its draft recommendations to Congress regarding payment […]
With the 2025 home health final payment rule came the admission-to-service policy — an update to the Medicare Conditions of Participation. In many ways, experts consider it a formalization of measures home health providers are already taking. Broadly, the policy has two parts. The first part requires home health providers to develop, implement and maintain […]
Last week, the wait for the CY 2025 home health final payment rule finally came to end. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled a rule that included a 0.5% increase to 2025 home health payments, updates to the Conditions of Participation, as well as changes to Low-Utilization Payment Adjustments […]
The Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report on Thursday revealing that the nation’s three largest Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers have significantly increased the rate at which they denied seniors’ post-acute care from 2020 to 2023. This includes denying access to nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term acute care hospitals. […]
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 […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its FY 2025 home health proposed payment rule Wednesday. With it, the agency signaled that more significant cuts could be on the way for providers. To rebalance the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and make it budget neutral, at least according to its internal methodology, CMS […]
The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule has been finalized. Most importantly, the bemoaned “80-20” provision has gone through as proposed, meaning providers will eventually be forced to direct 80% of reimbursement for home- and community-based services (HCBS) to caregiver wages. First proposed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April […]
A group of policymakers has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the long-term care workforce. The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act was introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), along with Sens. Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). The impetus behind the bill is the instability in the caregiver workforce, which […]
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