Snapshot
HCHB’s 2026 CMS proposed rule comment letter argues that the agency’s planned 6.4% payment cut would worsen an already serious home health access crisis by reducing capacity, intensifying workforce strain, and pushing vulnerable patients away from one of Medicare’s most cost-effective care settings. The letter says HCHB’s data, drawn from a platform it says supports 47.1% of Medicare home health visits, shows referral conversion has fallen 13% since 2018, more than 4.2 million patients were denied home health in 2024, inflation has risen much faster than home health revenue per day, and CMS’s assumptions about provider behavior under PDGM do not match what agencies are actually doing in the field. Overall, the document urges CMS to pause permanent and temporary payment adjustments, reset policy baselines to post-pandemic years such as 2023 onward, and work more closely with the home health industry and Medicare Advantage stakeholders to protect beneficiary access and create more accurate reimbursement policy.
