STAT May 3, 2024
Caregivers for older adults and people with disabilities could see a bump in their wages in the coming years, thanks to a forthcoming rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The new rule brings sweeping changes to a bevy of Medicaid programs throughout the country, including fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. One of the most notable changes applies to the home and community-based services (HCBS) industry. CMS will now require home-based care providers to use 80% of the Medicaid reimbursements they receive toward caregiver compensation.
The rule changes were prompted in part by worker shortages that led to long wait times for home-based care, with nearly 700,000 Americans languishing on waiting lists every year since 2016 according...