Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced a House version of the Preserving Access to Home Health Care Act of 2023 on August 1, the companion legislation to the bill introduced by senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) last month. The bill would protect access to home health services by preventing harmful cuts to the Medicare home health benefit that have occurred since the implementation of the Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM).

The bill would specifically repeal the requirement that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) make determinations related to the impact of behavior changes on aggregate expenditures. It would also eliminate CMS’ authority to make payment adjustments based on these determinations. It instructs MedPAC to review and report on aggregate trends in home health payment across all payers (FFS Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid) and consider the impact on access to care.