Urge Congress to Block Catastrophic Home Health Care Cuts

In July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their FY 2026 Home Health Final Payment Rule, which proposes over $1.1 billion in cuts to home health payments for 2026. If finalized, these cuts would further destabilize access to care at home for millions of seniors and put home health providers at serious risk.

Congress never intended the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to be used to justify cuts of this magnitude. CMS's analysis relies on questionable data, and its methodology has numerous flaws, raising serious concerns about the accuracy and fairness of the proposed cuts. 

The Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 5142), introduced by Representatives Hern [R-OK] and Sewell [D-AL], would pause cuts in 2026 and 2027 to ensure that beneficiaries continue to have access to necessary services and that home health agencies are able to continue to provide these services. Congress must act now to preserve home health care because once providers close their doors, they rarely come back.