Although the home health care industry recently received a reprieve from drastic Medicare cuts, the financial threat to the industry is far from over.

In June 2022, CMS issued their proposed 2023 Home Health Payment Rule, which carried with it a proposed cut to Medicare payments of 4.2% , or $810 million. Fortunately, the final rule issued by CMS wasn’t quite as devastating, as it ultimately provided a Medicare payment increase of 0.7%, or $125 million, for 2023.

But as was mentioned above, we are still not out of the woods. The final rule also authorizes CMS to claw back, starting in 2024, $2.1 billion in what they say are overpayments from 2020 and 2021.

To maintain access to home health care services and prevent harm to the Medicare patients across Wisconsin that depend on essential health care provided in their homes, it’s critical to urge Congress to fix the potential chaos created by CMS by passing the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022 (H.R. 8581 and S. 4605) before the end of the year.

The bipartisan bill would delay the 2023 payment cut and the $2 billion claw back efforts, allowing time for home health care to  negotiate with CMS on a better outcome. With that in mind, WiAHC would urge you to contact your Members of Congress TODAY and ask them to support this highly important legislative proposal. 

Of course, when advocating for home health with your Members of Congress, it is important to ensure your message is both compelling and clearly presented. Thankfully, our national partner, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), has made connecting with your elected representatives as easy as a few clicks on your computer or mobile device.

Simply CLICK HERE to contact your federal lawmakers on the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022. All you need to do is fill in your name and contact information and hit SEND.