Home Health & Hospice Week

MedPAC fears dog HHAs. The wheels of health care reform legislation are turning slowly, and home care providers are hoping they don't get crushed under them before it's all over. The Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has passed its health care reform bill. The bill doesn't carry specific provision for Medicare cuts, since HELP is not a committee of jurisdiction for that program. But it does contain the provisions of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, which would "significantly expand" federal payment for non-medical long-term care in the home, notes the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. With the House's so-called tri-committee bill calling for major cuts to home health agencies and hospices (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XVIII, No. 25, p. 194), all eyes are on the bipartisan bill Senate Finance Committee members are currently working on. Observers expect the Senate Finance legislation [...]