Potential Changes to the Home-Based Care Industry

The Expanding Care in the Home Act

A new bill from Reps. Adrian Smith(R-Neb.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) mark a rare, bipartisan collaboration on a potential solution to Medicare’s financing problem. The bill proposes a baseline 12 hours per week of personal care services benefit in Medicare, which advocates say would help support a population of beneficiaries unable to afford out-of-pocket home care but not quite poor enough to qualify under Medicaid.

By moving an array of services for Medicare beneficiaries from hospital to home, lawmakers hope they can save money while allowing older Americans to receive care in their homes.