Home Health Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Introduction of the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023NAHC The National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (the Partnership) today commended Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for introducing Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 to safeguard access to essential home-based, clinically advanced healthcare services by preventing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing dire cuts of negative 7.85% to the Medicare Home Health Program, which translates to more than $18 billion over the next decade. In 2020, CMS implemented the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) as a new payment system for Medicare home health. While intended to be budget neutral compared to the previous HHRG prospective payment system, CMS’s interpretation of its budget neutrality mandate has resulted in significant reductions in payment. These cuts have reset base payment rates to lower and unsustainable levels, with projections indicating further deepening in the future. Specifically, the bill is designed to address deep cuts made to home health by CMS during the implementation the Medicare home health payment system – Patient Driven Groupings Model or PDGM – by making the following policy changes:
“We strongly support this essential legislation as current policy positions of CMS put access to home health services for the over three million beneficiaries that utilize this care in jeopardy,” said NAHC President William A. Dombi. “The Medicare home health benefit has shrunk over the last decade due to various payment cuts, which the most recent of those is the subject of the legislation. We call on both houses of Congress to join Senator Stabenow and Senator Collins in their valiant effort to preserve the home health benefit.” According to NAHC and the Partnership, the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 is immediately needed to protect the future viability of the Medicare home health program which more than 3 million older Americans rely on annually. When considering the legislation, home health leaders urge lawmakers to consider:
“We applaud Senator Stabenow and Collins for their leadership in introducing the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 and their ongoing efforts to protect the Medicare home health benefit. This legislation offers the stability the Medicare home health community so urgently needs,” said Joanne Cunningham, CEO of the Partnership. “We strongly support this legislative solution and will work diligently with lawmakers in Congress to enlist broad support for this bill among lawmakers, provider stakeholders, and the Medicare community.” Home health is a patient-preferred option, with most adults and Medicare beneficiaries expressing their preference for receiving post-hospital, short-term care at home instead of in a nursing home. Not only does home health align with patients’ preferences, but it also saves Medicare money. CMS’s own data from the Home Health Value Based Model (HHVBP) indicates that it saves the Medicare Trust Fund $1.38 billion over six years by reducing hospitalizations and skilled nursing stays. Additionally, the availability of home healthcare allows hospitals to discharge patients sooner, promoting efficient care transitions. However, the increasing rejection rate of referrals for home healthcare has led to longer hospital stays and difficulties in transitioning patients from the hospital to their homes. |