Senate Eliminates 15% Cut in Medicare Home Health Rates

The home health industry breathed a sigh of relief on April 5 when the Senate overwhelmingly voted to cancel a 15% cut in Medicare home health rates, which was scheduled to take effect October 1, 2002.

Since the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the cut had been delayed twice but never eliminated. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) successfully argued that it was time to do away with the cut once and for all. Her approved amendment puts $13.7 billion over 10 years into a special "reserve fund" to offset the money that would be saved by the cut.

From the April 5, 2001 article, "Senate Votes to Eliminate 15% Cut," from myhomehealth.com