The Home Care Association of Florida (HCAF) has joined more than 150 patient, provider, community, and advocacy organizations nationwide in signing a joint letter to congressional leadership urging immediate action to stop the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from finalizing devastating cuts to the Medicare home health program.

The letter — spearheaded by the National Alliance for Care at Home — was sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). It urges lawmakers to intervene swiftly to protect access to home health care for millions of older adults and individuals with disabilities.

“Home health care is one of Medicare’s most essential benefits. It allows older adults and people with disabilities to recover safely at home, helps hospitals discharge patients more efficiently, reduces costly readmissions, and saves taxpayers money. Patients value it, families depend on it, and our health care system cannot function effectively without it.”

The proposed 2026 payment rule includes an additional 9% cut — more than $1.1 billion in reductions — marking the steepest single-year reduction since the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) was implemented. This comes on top of three consecutive years of cuts that have already destabilized the home health sector nationwide.

HCAF and its national partners warn that these cuts would:

• Reduce access to care for seniors and families who rely on home health.
• Force agencies to shrink service areas or close entirely.
• Increase hospitalizations and nursing home placements.
• Undermine the sustainability of the Medicare home health benefit.

Click here to read the letter.

Legislative Solution: Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025

To stop these devastating cuts and protect access to care, HCAF is urging all home health professionals, patients, and advocates to support the bipartisan Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 5142), introduced by Representatives Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Terri Sewell (D-AL).

The bill would:

• Block CMS’s proposed 9% cut in 2026.
• Maintain 2026 rates at 2025 levels.
• Require a positive payment adjustment in 2027.
• Give Congress, CMS, and stakeholders time to address payment flaws, strengthen program integrity, and protect access to care.

Without congressional intervention, providers across the country will face crushing cuts that threaten patients’ ability to age in place.

Act now through HCAF’s Legislative Action Center to tell your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 5142 and protect home health access for millions of Americans. Click here to take action.