The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended reducing the 2022 home health care base payment rate by 5 percent according to information shared today by the director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.
“Medicare paid $17.1 billion in 2020 for home care according to the just-published report to Congress,” notes Jesse Slome, director of the Medicare and long-term care insurance advocacy organizations.
The report was issued by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission., an independent congressional agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.
“Medicare spending on home care declined 4.7 percent compared to the prior year,” Slome noted on the call with agents who market Medicare and long-term care insurance protection. “The recommendation is especially important because when it comes to long-term care people want to remain in their own home more than ever.”
Slome reminded the professionals that the Medicare.gov website specifically explains that Medicare does not pay for many home care services that are considered long-term care. “Educating people is the key to making sure that they are properly prepared for whatever the future brings,” Slome advised. “Can Medicare and Medicaid expenditures keep growing at levels that some say are not sustainable? That’s a reason people should underate a little of their own planning.”
The Association posted some of the highlights of data from the March 2022 Report to Congress from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). To learn more about Medicare home care information go to https://www.medicaresupp.org/does-medicare-cover-home-care/.
The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI) and the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance advocate for the importance of planning. For more information, visit the organization’s websites at www.medicaresupp.org and www.aaltci.org.
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