Home Health & Hospice Week

Industry Notes:

Keep Your Eye On Washington As Budget Negotiations Unfold

Warning: More Medicare cuts could be on the way in mere months.

 

 

The end to the government shutdown was helpful for many home care and hospice providers, but they may pay a price in the new year.

As part of the agreement to end the impasse, lawmakers will set up a bipartisan panel to craft a long-term budget agreement. And that panel will most likely be examining budget cuts to programs including Medicare, according to news reports.

Measures such as a copayment for home health and reimbursement reductions for HHAs and hospices are expected to be on the table. And broader reforms such as a higher eligibility age for Medi-care also would affect the industry.

The 29-member panel, led by Senate Bud-get Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) will have until Dec. 13 to reach an agreement. Mur-ray and Ryan have said they want to eliminate se-questration cuts and instead make targeted reductions, according to press reports.

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