Legislation & Regulation

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois—Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed state legislation establishing new guardrails around private equity ownership of intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) service providers.

SACRAMENTO, California—The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently made changes to prior authorization protocols for service and repair of complex rehab technology (CRT) equipment. 

WASHINGTON—Newly introduced legislation is aiming to protect the Medicare home health program from fraud and strengthen access to services. The Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act would give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) additional tools to prevent and detect fraud while helping ensure that legitimate home health agencies are fairly reimbursed for the care they provide.

The bill, HR 8804, was introduced by Sen. Susan Collins.

TRENTON, New Jersey—Legislation introduced in the state of New Jersey aims to ease regulatory burdens on home healthcare providers.

Bill S 3463 would make the following changes to existing law:

WASHINGTON—Newly introduced legislation aims to establish a grant program to help home health providers and nursing homes adopt electronic health records.

U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), introduced the Connecting Health and Records Technology for Seniors (CHARTS) Act, legislation to help long-term and post-acute care providers modernize patient record systems, improve care coordination and ensure America’s seniors receive safer, more connected healthcare.

WASHINGTON—The Choices for Increased Mobility Act (HR 1703), passed the United States House of Representatives by voice vote, advancing the legislation to the Senate.

BOSTON, Massachusetts—Rep. Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts introduced the Facilitating Access to Service and Timely Repairs for Wheelchairs Act. The legislation is designed toward changing how Medicare Advantage plans handle repairs for certain wheelchairs and related equipment.

For complex rehabilitation technology (CRT)—which includes certain power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs and related accessories—the bill would potentially stop Medicare Advantage plans from requiring:

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio State Representatives announced the passage of a legislative package aimed at fighting fraud, waste and abuse within Ohio’s Medicaid program.

WASHINGTON—The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has signed determinations terminating the COVID-19 Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) declarations for drugs and biological products and for medical devices, concluding that the circumstances that justified these emergency authorities no longer exist.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia—In its proposed home health payment rule released last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included changes to home infusion therapies that advocates say is a positive step but not a solution to the broader challenges facing home infusion in Medicare.

WASHINGTON—Members of Congress are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider the impact of including some items in the revived competitive bidding program. In a committee report accompanying a broad 2027 appropriations bill, lawmakers asked the agency to report back on how bidding would affect access to medically appropriate devices, the American Association for Homecare said in a recent newsleter. 

ARLINGTON, Virginia—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has formally endorsed the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026 (HR 8375/S 4384), bipartisan legislation that would deliver reforms to Medicare Advantage (MA) prior authorization, claims integrity and transparency practices. The organization said the bill directly addresses challenges members face daily and would improve access to medically necessary home medical equipment (HME) for Medicare beneficiaries.

WASHINGTON—A group of national patient advocacy organizations announced the launch of The High Cost of Low Bids, a campaign urging policymakers to stop the inclusion of urological and ostomy supplies in Medicare competitive bidding. 

WASHINGTON—The House Energy and Commerce Committee has unanimously passed the Choices for Increased Mobility Act (HR 1703), which would allow Medicare beneficiaries to use carbon fiber and titanium manual wheelchairs. 

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a reorganization of its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the department’s law enforcement agency charged with protecting civil rights, conscience and religious freedom, as well as health information privacy and security. 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma—Legislation expanding Oklahoma’s Caring for Caregivers Tax Credit has become law.

WASHINGTON—The federal government will indefinitely withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to the state of California as part of a Medicaid fraud initiative, Vice President JD Vance and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Mehmet Oz announced.

“The state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” Vance said at a White House news conference.

WASHINGTON—The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) brought together homecare leaders, agency owners and advocates from across the country for its annual National Home Care Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. The event highlights the growing importance of homecare and the need for bipartisan policy solutions to support caregivers and expand access to care in the home.

WASHINGTON—Two new bills introduced in the U.S. House promise to strengthen both access to homecare and the caregiving workforce. 

The Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act and the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act are two separate piees of legislation, both introduced April 29 by Rep. Debbie Dingell, a longtime homecare supporter. The HCBS Access Act is co-led by Rep. Jan Schakowsky; the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act is co-led by Rep. Doris Matsui.