CMS

WASHINGTON—A national poll by Fabrizio Ward, commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance), found that seven in 10 Americans oppose the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule, which is expected to cut Medicare home health funding by an additional 9%, or $1.1 billion, next year.

WASHINGTON—Representatives Kevin Hern (OK-01) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (HR 7027). The legislation aims to ensure patients have access to rehabilitative care by pausing the payment cuts proposed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System proposed rule. The legislation also looks to create a more sustainable payment system for Medicare Home Health Agencies (HHAs).

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is retracting its recent guidance regarding Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data collection, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home.

FORT SMITH, Arkansas—Mercy Home Health-Fort Smith has been awarded a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for both Quality of Patient Care and Patient Survey Satisfaction, making it the only home health provider in Arkansas to receive five stars in both categories.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new prior authorization pilot program that will require recipients of Medicare to receive prior approval before obtaining access to certain medical services. 

PALO ALTO, California—PocketRN, a provider of virtual nursing, and Caring Senior Service, a homecare company, announced they will form a partnership to test the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. 

WASHINGTON—The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) announced they will host a virtual public meeting to solicit stakeholder comments on Aug. 27. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the expansion of coverage and to clarify the coverage criteria for blinatumomab, an immunotherapy drug used to treat B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) encouraged members of the HME industry to submit final comments on a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medi

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched an oversight initiative to ensure that enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are United States citizens, U.S. nationals or have a satisfactory immigration status. 

ARLINGTON, Virginia—American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) announced that it has launched a new End User CBP Activation Toolkit to help the HME industry submit its comments in opposition to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's (CMS) proposed rule to revive the competitive bidding program (CBP).

WASHINGTON—Officials from the aging services nonprofit LeadingAge joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), to shed light on the impact of the 2025 reconciliation bill's nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid for older adults and their families.

“We are an aging country,” said Sanders. “Seniors will need some kind of long-term care in their lifetimes. Families throughout the country seek our support."

DALLAS—Homecare Homebase (HCHB), a software provider for home-based care, released its 2026 Home Health Impact Model along with a new suite of advocacy dashboards, both available within its HCHB Analytics platform. These tools equip home health agencies with data-driven insights to assess how the recently proposed payment changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impact reimbursement, operations and financial planning.

WASHINGTON—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has put out a list of issues in the government's proposed rule for durable medical equipment (DME) that it's asking providers to submit public comment on in the next 30 days. 

WASHINGTON—The proposed rule for 2026 home health payments that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released earlier this month includes a wide range of changes that will impact home medical providers, including updates to competitive bidding, accreditation requirements and prior authorization policies.

WASHINGTON—Congressman Vern Buchanan, chair of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means, announced he introduced the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced resources and flexibilities to support individuals and health care providers affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding in Texas.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) released a proposed rule on home health and durable medical equipment (DME) that includes new provisions for the next implementation of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), the American Association for Homecare (AAHomeCare) shared in an email with its members. 

Editor's note: This story was updated July 1, 2025 with additional industry reactions. 

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on Monday, June 30, that would permanently reduce home health payment rates by 4.059% in 2026 and add a temporary 5% clawback as well.

WASHINGTON—Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Susan Collins submitted a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz expressing concern for the future of the Medicare home health benefit, including continued payment cuts leading to further agency closures in their communities.

WASHINGTON—Top United States health insurance providers pledged to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced on Monday, June 23.