The Preserving Access to Home Health Act, which was introduced in the Senate earlier this week, was also introduced in the House on Thursday.

The bill would prevent the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from reducing home health payments from now until 2026.

The House bill, which was introduced by Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL), is identical to the one introduced to the Senate by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) earlier this week.

“We thank Reps. Sewell and Buchanan for their ongoing commitment to home health and their leadership in introducing the Preserving Access to Home Health Act, which is urgently needed to protect home health from Medicare’s unjust and reckless proposed cuts,” Joanne Cunningham, the CEO of the Partnership for Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), said in a statement. “We strongly support this legislative solution and will work diligently … to enlist broad support for this bill among lawmakers, provider stakeholders and the Medicare community.”

National Association for Home Care & Hospice President William A. Dombi told Home Health Care News on Monday that he was hoping the House bill would also be introduced this week.

Many more steps remain in the home health care industry’s fight to legislate against CMS’ proposed rate cut for 2023, but the introduction of the bill in the Senate and House in one week is one of the crucial, preliminary ones.

The next step is to get more sponsors on board in both the House and Senate as a recess in Washington, D.C., awaits. 

“The recess period is going to be filled with our grassroots efforts,” Dombi said. “So we do hope that by the time they return after Labor Day, there will be – in waiting – dozens of senators and maybe even hundreds of members of the House [behind this]. People may say that’s wishful thinking. But you have to go into this with a goal. And that’s our goal.”