Home Health & Hospice Week

Advisory body predicts 14.5 percent profit margin for HHAs in 2011. Yet another barrier to home care access could come your way, if Congress listens to a recommendation from an influential advisory body. As it voted to do in January, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has recommended a copayment for home health agency services in its March report to Congress. A $150 copay for a home health episode would be a good deal for beneficiaries, MedPAC contends in its report. "For the average episode payment of about $3,000 in 2008, Medicare would pay about $29 in benefits for every $1 the beneficiary paid," it says. That copay amount would be significantly less than hospital or skilled nursing facility copay levels, MedPAC notes in the report. The copay would also apply to only about one-third of home health patients -- those with episodes that don't follow a hospital or post-acute stay [...]