Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026

The Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026 aims to combat fraud within the Medicare home health program by implementing stricter enrollment screening, more frequent site surveys, and enhanced oversight of accreditation bodies. The bill resets the standard payment rate for home health services starting in 2027 at $2,382.87 per unit and suspends specific financial adjustments related to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model to stabilize provider payments. It also requires that data from suspected fraudulent claims be excluded when calculating quality benchmarks and value-based payment adjustments to protect legitimate agencies. To support these changes, the legislation appropriates $550 million over five years for program integrity enforcement, legal investigations, and state survey activities.