CMS is projecting a 2.4% increase to aggregate home health payments, but this estimate excludes the application of a proposed 3.0% temporary behavioral adjustment—a reduction to home health payments—that would further strain providers already grappling with rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing demand for care. At a time when more beneficiaries are seeking services in their homes, additional Medicare payment reductions threaten providers' ability to maintain access to care, recruit and retain staff, and serve patients in rural and underserved communities. CMS should support policies that strengthen home-based care and preserve patient access, not impose cuts that undermine the stability of the Medicare home health benefit.

CMS is also proposing a troubling expansion of its provider enrollment and revocation authorities that reaches far beyond any single specialty or care setting. These changes could make it easier for the agency to deny or revoke Medicare participation based on broad interpretations and increased administrative discretion. Losing Medicare enrollment can have devastating consequences for providers and the patients they serve. Policymakers should focus on targeted oversight of bad actors, not policies that risk ensnaring legitimate providers and creating new barriers to patient care.

Speak out against these policies and submit this template comment letter on the 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule by August 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm et.