Protect Home Health Care
Oppose Payment Cuts in the CY 2026 Medicare Home Health Proposed Rule
The CY 2026 Medicare Home Health proposed rule as written will cut the home health payment rate by 9% and reduce payments by over $1.13 billion to home health agencies (HHAs), threatening access to essential home-based services for older adults and people with disabilities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed cuts will severely impact access to lifesaving care, while failing to take any meaningful action to address real problems in the system, like fraud, waste, and abuse.
​
These cuts are based on flawed data and methodology that fails to distinguish between legitimate providers and fraudulent actors. Since PDGM access to care continues to decline with over one-third of patients referred to home health care unable to receive services—a crisis that will only worsen under further cuts. In Texas, since 2018, there has been a 20% decline in beneficiaries receiving home health and a sharp 39% decline in home health agencies providing care.
​
Fewer patients are able to access home health care as a result; increasing emergency room (ER) visits and hospital readmissions–both more costly forms of care – and increasing mortality rates.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
$1.13B payment cut
proposed for 2026
39% less agencies
providing care
(2018-2024)
2 million less Beneficiaries
using Home Health
(2018-2024)
Why Oppose the CY2026 Home Health Rule?
CONTINUED CUTS WILL DEVASTATE ACCESS TO CARE
​
Over one-third of patients referred to home health care never receive it.
Since PDGM: Home health utilization has dropped by over 2 million beneficiaries
FRAUD AND ABUSE IS DRIVING PAYMENT DISTORTIONS
​
In Los Angeles County alone, more than 1,300 new home health agencies have enrolled since 2020—despite declining patient need—accounting for 9.4% of national Medicare home health spending.
The entire state of TX Medicare Home health spend is 8.4%. Texas is being punished for fraud and abuse in Los Angeles County, and this activity does not reflect current reality.
THIS CRISIS AFFECTS THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM - NOT JUST HOME HEALTH
​
The collapse of home health access is driving up hospital costs, straining discharge planning, and pushing patients into institutional care.
Over 700 rural hospitals (one-third of all rural hospitals) are at risk of closing in the near future – a problem that will be compounded by a lack of discharge partners.​
What We Need from Congress:
-
Oppose the CY 2026 Home Health proposed rule.
-
Urge the CMS to rescind cuts and preserve critical access to care for patients and families that need it.
-
Support legislation that strengthens—not weakens—home health care, the preferred choice for patients and the highest-value option for our Medicare trust fund.