Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022

Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022

This bill restricts the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from decreasing payments for Medicare home health services based on certain adjustments until 2026.

Current law requires the CMS to make certain permanent and temporary payment adjustments under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health services based on behavioral assumptions for 2020 through 2026. The bill restricts the CMS from making adjustments that decrease payments until 2026; the CMS must also ensure that any such necessary decreases are made before 2032.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8581 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8581

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure stability in 
      payments to home health agencies under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2022

  Ms. Sewell (for herself and Mr. Buchanan) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in 
 addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure stability in 
      payments to home health agencies under the Medicare program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preserving Access to Home Health Act 
of 2022''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING STABILITY IN PAYMENTS TO HOME HEALTH AGENCIES.

    (a) Limitation on Permanent and Temporary Adjustments.--Section 
1895(b)(3)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395fff(b)(3)(D)) 
is amended--
            (1) in each of clauses (ii) and (iii), by striking ``The 
        Secretary shall'' and inserting ``Subject to clause (iv), the 
        Secretary shall''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(iv) Special rules for decreases in 
                        payments.--
                                    ``(I) Postponement.--No permanent 
                                decrease to the standard prospective 
                                payment amount (or amounts) for a year 
                                under clause (ii) and no temporary 
                                decrease to the payment amount for a 
                                unit of home health services for a year 
                                under clause (iii) shall be made prior 
                                to 2026.
                                    ``(II) Sunset.--Subject to 
                                subclause (I), the Secretary shall 
                                ensure that all necessary permanent or 
                                temporary decreases described in 
                                subclause (I) are made prior to 
                                2032.''.
    (b) Implementation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Secretary may implement the provisions of, and the amendments made 
by, this section by program instruction or otherwise.
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