Home care advocates urge lawmakers to halt home health pay cuts, oppose MA hospice carve-in

One of the major advocacy issues for providers is pushing for passage of the Home Health Stabilization Act, which was introduced earlier this month and would halt home health Medicare cuts for 2026 and 2027, Scott Levy, chief government affairs officer for the National Alliance for Care at Home, said. This legislation may be able to gather more co-sponsors than previous legislation, the Preserving Access to Home Health Act. Another key legislative item for members is extending telehealth waivers that are set to extend at the end of the month and waive in-person, face-to-face encounters. While there may be another short-term extension, this likely will appear in a healthcare extenders package, Levy said. The Alliance also is against making hospice part of Medicare Advantage, known as a carve-in. This is far from a “done deal,” and the Alliance wants to get ahead of the issue, Levy said. Preserving Medicaid also is on the table given the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And providers will continue to talk to Congress about rescinding the controversial 80/20 rule, which is contained in the Medicaid Access Rule. Advocacy matters, Levy said. He would love to have one advocate for every member organization, which would be a total of 1,500 advocates marching on Washington. Follow us on social media:X: @McKHomeCareFacebook: McKnight's Home CareLinkedIn: McKnight's Home CareInstagram: mcknights_homecareFollow the National Alliance for Care at Home on social media:X: @TheAllianceHomeFacebook: National Alliance for Care at HomeLinkedIn: National Alliance for Care at HomeInstagram: thealliancehomeShow contributors: Editor Liza Berger; Scott Levy, Chief Government Affairs Officer, National Alliance for Care at Home Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.