I am asking you to cosponsor the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605, which would ensure stability for home health patients as we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for providers following the transition to the patient driven groupings model (PDGM). At risk is a proposed 7.69% payment cut as put forth by CMS in their CY2023 rulemaking for home health. In the Balanced Budget Act of 2018 Congress outlined the parameters for the transition to PDGM. In doing so, authority was granted to CMS to make permanent and temporary adjustments to the payment rate to ensure for budget neutrality in aggregate spending under PDGM compared to projections of the aggregate spend under the former payment methodology. Authority was also granted for rate adjustments if aggregate expenditures differed from CMS estimates of expected expenditures. With home care providers facing an unprecedented workforce shortage, leading many to turn away patients due to lack of staff, inflation, and exceedingly high gasoline prices, now is not the time to cut payment rates. Patients are already facing access challenges and the CMS proposed rule will only make it worse. Fortunately, legislation has been introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow and Susan Collins to provide stability to patients and providers alike by preventing the CMS proposed cuts from taking effect. Specifically, the legislation would: 1. Prevent CMS from implementing any permanent or temporary adjustment to home health prospective payment rates prior to 2026. This would delay cuts currently proposed by CMS for 2023 - 2025, allowing more time for CMS to refine its proposed approach to determining budget neutrality in home health. 2. Ensure that any adjustments CMS determines to be necessary to offset for increases or decreases in estimated aggregate expenditures are made by 2032, such that no cuts would be delayed beyond the end of the budget window. 3. The legislation is intended to be self-implementing. It would become effective as of the date of enactment and includes instructions allowing for implementation by program instruction or otherwise. Thank you for your consideration in supporting the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605

I am asking you to cosponsor the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605, which would ensure stability for home health patients as we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for providers following the transition to the patient driven groupings model (PDGM). At risk is a proposed 7.69% payment cut as put forth by CMS in their CY2023 rulemaking for home health. In the Balanced Budget Act of 2018 Congress outlined the parameters for the transition to PDGM. In doing so, authority was granted to CMS to make permanent and temporary adjustments to the payment rate to ensure for budget neutrality in aggregate spending under PDGM compared to projections of the aggregate spend under the former payment methodology. Authority was also granted for rate adjustments if aggregate expenditures differed from CMS estimates of expected expenditures. With home care providers facing an unprecedented workforce shortage, leading many to turn away patients due to lack of staff, inflation, and exceedingly high gasoline prices, now is not the time to cut payment rates. Patients are already facing access challenges and the CMS proposed rule will only make it worse. Fortunately, legislation has been introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow and Susan Collins to provide stability to patients and providers alike by preventing the CMS proposed cuts from taking effect. Specifically, the legislation would: 1. Prevent CMS from implementing any permanent or temporary adjustment to home health prospective payment rates prior to 2026. This would delay cuts currently proposed by CMS for 2023 - 2025, allowing more time for CMS to refine its proposed approach to determining budget neutrality in home health. 2. Ensure that any adjustments CMS determines to be necessary to offset for increases or decreases in estimated aggregate expenditures are made by 2032, such that no cuts would be delayed beyond the end of the budget window. 3. The legislation is intended to be self-implementing. It would become effective as of the date of enactment and includes instructions allowing for implementation by program instruction or otherwise. Thank you for your consideration in supporting the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605

I am asking you to cosponsor the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605, which would ensure stability for home health patients as we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for providers following the transition to the patient driven groupings model (PDGM). At risk is a proposed 7.69% payment cut as put forth by CMS in their CY2023 rulemaking for home health. In the Balanced Budget Act of 2018 Congress outlined the parameters for the transition to PDGM. In doing so, authority was granted to CMS to make permanent and temporary adjustments to the payment rate to ensure for budget neutrality in aggregate spending under PDGM compared to projections of the aggregate spend under the former payment methodology. Authority was also granted for rate adjustments if aggregate expenditures differed from CMS estimates of expected expenditures. With home care providers facing an unprecedented workforce shortage, leading many to turn away patients due to lack of staff, inflation, and exceedingly high gasoline prices, now is not the time to cut payment rates. Patients are already facing access challenges and the CMS proposed rule will only make it worse. Fortunately, legislation has been introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow and Susan Collins to provide stability to patients and providers alike by preventing the CMS proposed cuts from taking effect. Specifically, the legislation would: 1. Prevent CMS from implementing any permanent or temporary adjustment to home health prospective payment rates prior to 2026. This would delay cuts currently proposed by CMS for 2023 - 2025, allowing more time for CMS to refine its proposed approach to determining budget neutrality in home health. 2. Ensure that any adjustments CMS determines to be necessary to offset for increases or decreases in estimated aggregate expenditures are made by 2032, such that no cuts would be delayed beyond the end of the budget window. 3. The legislation is intended to be self-implementing. It would become effective as of the date of enactment and includes instructions allowing for implementation by program instruction or otherwise. Thank you for your consideration in supporting the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, S. 4605