BPC Report: Optimizing the Medicare Home Health Benefit to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Disparities
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has released a report titled, “Optimizing the Medicare Home Health Benefit to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Disparities.”
BPC’s Health Project conducted a literature review about access to the Medicare home health benefit, interviewed more than 25 policy experts, and convened a roundtable with experts and stakeholders. In addition, with support from the Commonwealth Fund, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) provided an issue brief summarizing the legislative and regulatory history of the benefit (see Appendix). Through those efforts, they identified the following key factors as having a deleterious effect on care delivery under the Medicare home health benefit:
- Inconsistent Medicare coverage determinations influence which beneficiaries home health agencies serve.
- Payment methodology and quality metrics disincentivize services for those with higher levels of need or without an expectation of functional improvement.
- Home health agencies overlook the importance of home health aides on recovery and health outcomes.
- Beneficiaries and family caregivers are not appropriately educated about home health services and do not receive adequate support.
The Commonwealth Fund also published a related blog post by CMA titled, “The Medicare Home Health Benefit: An Unkept Promise.”
Read the full report from the BPC.
Visit the BPC's website.
Visit the CMA's website.
