How has Medicare Advantage Impacted Your HHA?
NAHC is embarking on a landmark survey focused on the operational and financial aspects of the relationship between home health agencies (HHAs) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
Please complete the survey by Monday, April 15, 2024.
The survey ties into early MA studies from NAHC that examined the relationships between 2014 and 2020. As such, the 2024 edition provides a crucial opportunity to compare today’s environment with those earlier benchmarks.
In 2024, MA enrollment is at its all-time high, exceeding 50% of Medicare enrollees nationwide, with some localities well in excess of 70%. The impact of MA on HHAs continues to grow each year. The data we seek in this survey is essential to our advocacy efforts on behalf of HHAs and helpful to HHAs in their own business decisions.
The same survey in 2020 was completed in an average of 16 minutes.
COMPLETE SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SHDB2H
New Learning Opportunities Available
New learning popportunities are available from LEARN Idaho and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Credit for Caring Introduced in Both Houses of Congress
February 9, 2024
A bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators and Representatives has reintroduced the Credit for Caring Act (S. 3702, H.R. 7165), a bill intended to bolster support for family caregivers nationwide. Spearheaded by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WVA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), alongside Representatives Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38) and Mike Carey (R-OH-15), this legislation targets the daunting financial challenges confronting millions of family caregivers.
Family caregivers are unsung heroes, balancing work and family responsibilities while providing essential care to their loved ones. Often, this commitment comes at a significant personal cost, both emotionally and financially. Recognizing this, the Credit for Caring Act proposes a federal tax credit of up to $5,000 for eligible working family caregivers.
Senator Bennet emphasized the critical role caregivers play in the lives of their loved ones and the need for Congress to support them financially. Senator Capito, drawing from her personal experience caring for her parents, highlighted the emotional and financial toll caregiving can take, underscoring the importance of this bill in easing caregivers’ burdens.
With over 48 million caregivers in the United States, the need for support is undeniable. The Credit for Caring Act aims to assist caregivers by covering out-of-pocket expenses such as home care, adult day care, and transportation. By providing a nonrefundable tax credit adjusted for inflation, the bill seeks to ease the financial strain on caregivers, allowing them to focus more on providing care and less on financial concerns.
The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) supports the Credit for Caring Act and looks forward to working with partnering stakeholders on its legislative success. The bill received significant consideration in the previous Congress but did not move forward due to cost concerns.
We thank the bill’s sponsors for their advocacy on behalf of America’s overburdened caregivers and the people who rely on them.
Local Alzheimer’s Association Offers Support to Idaho Family Caregivers
Families are the primary source of support for older adults and people with disabilities in Idaho. In recognition and honor of these family caregivers, the Idaho Health Continuum of Care Alliance (IHCCA) is proud to participate in the National Family Caregivers Month, which is celebrated every November.
The Greater Idaho Chapter is offering the following events in December of 2023:
Library At Hillcrest Caregiver Support Group – December 1
Women Caring for Spouses Caregiver Support Group – December 5
Creating Dementia-Friendly Holidays and Celebrations Idaho Falls – December 6
Please provide this information to your patients, family and friends.
Do you know of other support organizations for family caregivers? Let us know so that we can highlight their services: admin@ihcca.org.
CY 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule
On November 1, CMS issued the CY 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update final rule, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for Home Health Agencies (HHAs). This rule includes routine updates to the Medicare Home Health PPS payment rates for CY 2024 in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory requirements. CMS estimates that Medicare payments to HHAs in CY 2024 will increase in the aggregate by 0.8 percent, or $140 million, compared to CY 2023.
More Information:
CMS Hospice Audit Concerns Survey
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is partnering with LeadingAge, NHPCO, and NPHI to collect information on various audits of hospice claims to share with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We sent a letter to CMS outlining all our concerns about the hospice audit process. In a follow up meeting with CMS, there was a mutual desire to focus on correcting issues related to the audits and this information will be used for that purpose only. We are asking for your help to collect examples of these issues – with no protected health information – particularly of technical denials. We are keeping all responses confidential – no provider information will be shared.
Please Take this Hospice Audit Survey
- GO HERE to take the survey
- All responses are confidential, no provider info will be shared
- Please respond by October 31, 2023