Home Health Care News October 3, 2019
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday designed to bolster and expand Medicare Advantage (MA), the private Medicare insurance program for seniors that currently covers roughly 22 million individuals.
While the executive order is relatively wide-ranging in scope, one major detail should immediately win the attention of home health providers.
In the order, President Trump calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to close the gap between MA and fee-for-service (FSS) Medicare within 180 days. Specifically, the order directs federal health care policymakers to use MA-negotiated rates in setting rates for FSS Medicare.