Legislative Update

For more information in NAHC's Legislative and Regulatory activities in previous years, please see the NAHC Legislatve and Regulatory FAQs, located at this site and linked here for your convenience.

Pending Home Care Legislation

Find contact information for your Representatives and Senators

Action Alerts

Key Legislative Issues for 2005

1. Preserve the Full Market BasketUpdate for Medicare Home Health. ~ PDF File (2/2005)
2. Oppose Copayments for Medicare Home Health Services. ~ PDF File (2/2005)
3. Preserve Access to Rural Home Health Services. ~ PDF File (2/2005)
4. Support Increased Medicaid Funding for Home Care. ~ PDF File (8/2005)

2004

1. National Association For Home Care & Hospice: Key Legislation Issues For Today and Tomorrow (2004). ~ PDF File
2. The Medicare Home Health Benefit: Utilization and Outlays Have Dropped Dramatically. ~ PDF File
3. Profit Margins Projected to Continue Downward Spiral. ~ PDF File
4. Preserve The Full Market Basket Update For Medicare Home Health. ~ PDF File
5. Maintain the Add-on for Home Health Services in Rural Areas. ~ PDF File
6. Support An Increase in the Federal Medicaid Match, Oppose Medicaid Cuts, and Reject Caps on Federal Medicaid Payments. ~ PDF File
7. Enact Demonstrations to Promote Modernization of the Medicare Home Health Benefit. ~ PDF File

2003

Collins/Reed/Bond/Feingold Letter to the Senate Medicare Conferees on Copays, Market Basket Updates, and the Rural Add-on

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Kit Bond (R-MO), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to members of the Senate asking them to sign-on to a letter to the Senate Medicare reform conferees urging that they reject any attempt to impose a copayment on home health services, preserve the full market basket update, and extend the 10 percent add-on payment for home health services in rural areas. NAHC members are requested to contact their Senators and ask them to sign on to the Collins/Reed/Bond/Feingold letter. The "Dear Colleague" letter, a list of current co-signers, and the text of the letter to the committee can be found here. A list of Senate office contact numbers can be found here.

August Recess Grassroots Action Alert

Congress has gone home for their August recess, but working out differences in the Medicare reform/prescription drug legislation will be at the top of their agenda when they return. Home care's voice must be heard.
Contact your Senators and Representatives TODAY!

Senior and Disability Groups Join Fight Against Copays/Home Health Cuts

As an active member of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, NAHC has successfully worked to obtain the support of more than 40 national senior and disability groups to oppose home health copayments and other cuts in home health care, and has enlisted many of them to write letters to Members of Congress to bolster this effort. Read the LCAO letter and see who signed on.

NAHC Study Shows Small Profits for Medicare Agencies

NAHC staff has compiled and tabulated data showing the rates of return for all Medicare-participating home health agencies in the nation. The results of the study show that the average rate of return for Medicare-participating agencies in their latest fiscal year (prior to the October 2002 15 percent cut in home health reimbursement, the April 2003 loss of the 10 percent add-on for rural patients, and any audits or partial episode payment adjustments) is 5.15 percent. The average rate of return for rural agencies is minus .46 percent. Read the NAHC Report article on the study (NAHC Report articles are available only to NAHC members; you will need your membership number and password to access this area of the site), view the study results, and read the Muse and Associates letter vouching for the methodology used in the study.

Handouts from the NAHC 2003 National Policy Conference Panel on State of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services

• Joan Alker slides (PowerPoint presentation, 152K)
  
• Wendy Fox-Grage slides (PowerPoint presentation, 36K)
  
  The slides are available to NAHC members only.
  

Pending Home Care Legislation

The following is a listing of bills, including bill numbers and cosponsors, that address concerns of home health providers.

SENATE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS-108^th Congress 1st Session

S. 138, introduced by Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), would temporarily increase the federal Medical assistance percentage for the Medicaid program. Currently, S. 138 has 28 co-sponsors, including:

S. 598, “The David Jayne Medicare Homebound Modern- ization Act,” introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Sen. Zell Miller (D-GA), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), Sen. John McCain R-AZ), and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), provides for clarification of the definition of homebound for purposes of determining eligibility for home health services under the Medicare program. Currently, S. 598 has 4 cosponsors, including:

S. 636, the “Rural Home Health Payment Fairness Act of 2003,” introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO), provides for a permanent 10% increase in Medicare payments for home health services that are furnished in rural areas. Currently, S. 636 has 3 cosponsors:

HOUSE BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS-108^th Congress 1st Session

H.R. 26, the “Medicare Payment Restoration and Improvement Act of 2003,” introduced by Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD), would revise and improve payments to Medicare providers including elimination of the 15% reduction in Medicare home health payments and the extension of the 10% rural add-on for home health providers. Currently, H.R. 26 has no cosponsors.

H.R. 319, introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), would eliminate the 15% reduction in payment rates under the prospective payment system for home health services under the Medicare Program. Currently, H. R. 319 has one co-sponsor:

H.R. 439, introduced by Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ), would create a system of background checks for certain workers who enter people’s homes. Currently, H.R. 439 has two cosponsors.

H.R. 500, introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), would provide for a permanent increase in payment amounts under the Medicare Program for home health services furnished in rural areas. Currently, H.R. 500, has no cosponsors.

H.R. 810, introduced by Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), would provide regulatory relief, appeals process reforms, contracting flexibility, and education improvements under the Medicare Program. Currently, H.R. 810 has 53 co-sponsors, including:

H.R. 816, the “State Budget Relief Act of 2003, “ introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), would provide certain temporary increases in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under the Medicaid Program to help states finance increases in enrollment due to rising unemployment and to prevent reductions in health insurance coverage due to state budget crises. Currently, H.R. 816 has 143 cosponsors, including:

• Bills and Resolutions from the 107th Congress
  
  
• Bills and Resolutions from the 106th Congress
  
  
• 2000 Home Care Scorecard
  
  

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