A new wage rule passed under the Obama administration that promises to increase pay and working conditions for home care workers could result in higher Medicaid costs, reports USA Today via Stateline, a nonpartisan news service. The new rule, slated to go into effect come January 1, has been met with mixed response among home […]
Category: Legislation
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are launching a federal effort to help improve access to health care for older Americans that hinges largely on the direct care workforce. The Improving Care for Vulnerable Older Cisizens through Workforce Advancement Act of 2014, introduced this month by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), would advance the […]
Minnesota’s state senate voted this week to increase home health spending by $80 million. According to a Duluth News Tribune report, the home health funds would come as part of a larger, $209-million add-on to the two-year, $39 million budget that was enacted last year and would be the area with the largest spending increase […]
This week, Congress passed what’s known as a “doc fix” bill, delaying not only cuts to Medicare physician payments, but also pushes back the implementation of ICD-10 coding system for one year. The temporary “fix” delays a 24% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursement until October 2015, which initially would have taken effect March 31 as […]
Proposed cuts to Medicare funding for home healthcare are endangering one of the few solutions the United States has in caring for seniors, writes former Congressional Budget Office director and American Action Forum President Douglas Holtz-Eakin in a The Hill column this week. While policy makers have taken a step in the right direction by reversing […]
Legislation proposed last week that aims to improve care and lower costs for Medicare beneficiaries was recently met with applause from the home health industry. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Congressmen Erik Paulson (R-MN) and Congressmen Peter Welch (D-VT) intend their proposal, the Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014 (S.1932/H.R.3890) will […]
In response to growing concerns over the qualifications and training of some home care workers, states are paying closer attention to the rules and regulations around home health care workers and home care aides, and the different training and requirements that apply to each. Home health aides, regulated under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid […]
Perceptions vary on whether the Department of Labor’s (DOL) “companionship exemption” can be viewed as a positive stride for caregiver labor protections or a hindrance to the home health industry, according to panelists during a House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing held Wednesday. The highly contested “companionship exemption” announced by the DOL in September has been […]
Two members of Congress are circulating a letter in support of legislation that would allow non-physician caregivers to certify Medicare home health plans of care. The legislation, S. 1332, has been introduced previously, but never passed. Now it is receiving support from Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) who have circulated the “Dear […]
Lawmakers aim to limit Medicare payments for home health agencies that have, on, average, a higher number of episodes of care, according to a recently proposed bill from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill, H.R. 3245, was introduced by Congressmen Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Jim Matheson (D-UT), who both serve on the Committee, […]
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