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 […]
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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 […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule that will result in a 3.7% positive payment adjustment for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in 2025. According to an analysis done by the private investment banking company Stephens, rates are expected to remain virtually unchanged, with a slight decrease of 0.16%. This marks the […]
Individuals who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid make up a sizable portion of the overall home-based care population. Too often, though, this dual status comes with frustrating challenges around care plans and coordination. Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday hopes to reduce some of those frustrations while also creating new […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) nursing home staffing proposal has been a dark cloud over the industry. Some believe it could spell trouble for home health care as well. In September, CMS released a proposal that would require nursing homes to implement a minimum staffing standard, if finalized. The proposal introduces a […]
Access to home- and community-based services (HCBS) has increased over the last few years. But, despite some of the spotlight that the current administration has shone on HCBS, there is still a lot of work to be done to unlock the full potential of these services. “The reality of the funding aspect of Medicaid does […]
Any day now, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will release the 2024 home health final payment rule. In anticipation, home health providers and advocates have been appealing to Congress, educating, calling to action on social media and more. All of these efforts are the final push from an industry that has been […]
During the comment period for the 2024 home health proposed payment rule, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) received a host of responses from providers, industry advocates and other home-based care stakeholders. Chief among their concerns was the impact that the rule – if finalized in its current form – would have […]