Home Healthcare Services NAICS 621610

Jul 1, 2026 - Medicare Advantage Is A Top Concern For Home-Based Care Leaders

• About 56% of home-based care providers who responded to a 2026 survey conducted by Home Health Care News reported that Medicare Advantage (MA) is the payer type exerting the most pressure on their organizations. That's nearly twice the rate of the next-closest payer, Medicaid, at 31%. Low reimbursement rates were cited as a top-two MA challenge by 56% of respondents. General administrative burden was the other top two challenge associated with Medicare Advantage for 43.8% of respondents. Prior authorizations and delays were among the top challenges for 37.5% of respondents, as were denials.
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enacted in May a six-month, nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollment for home health agencies and hospices. "We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer," CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, said in a statement. The moratorium will include intense targeted investigations, advanced data analytics, and accelerated removal of hospice and HHA providers from the Medicare program that are suspected of committing fraud, the agency said.

• Home-based care providers are facing reimbursement challenges on multiple fronts, according to Home Health Care News. The 2026 home health final payment rule, Medicaid funding cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill and more have companies increasing their advocacy efforts, leaning into their strengths to navigate choppy reimbursement waters, and considering layoffs, according to Home Health Care News. Healthview CEO Steven Gonzalez told Home Health Care News that he is aware of the dangers of a 1.3% cut to home health payments. This is why the company spent time advocating on behalf of the industry on Capitol Hill in August 2025. CMS estimates that total Medicare payments to home health agencies will decrease by $220 million in 2026 compared to 2025, a net reduction of 1.3%. This reflects a 2.4% payment update offset by multiple downward adjustments, including permanent and temporary behavioral offsets and outlier recalibrations.
• Home healthcare industry employment increased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees decreased slightly during the first two months of 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Home healthcare services increased prices slightly during the first three months of 2026, according to the BLS. Industry sales are forecast to increase at a 6.09% compounded annual rate from 2026 to 2030, faster than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.