Home health and hospice groups blast CMS enrollment freeze

By AI, Created 4:33 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Three state hospice and home health associations say CMS’ new nationwide moratorium on fresh hospice and home health enrollments goes far beyond fraud hot spots and could disrupt access, state planning and telehealth flexibility. The groups say targeted enforcement would protect Medicare integrity without blocking new providers in states with no evidence of abuse.

Why it matters: - The Associations for Home & Hospice Care in North Carolina, Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association and South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association say a nationwide freeze can block new care capacity in states with growing need. - The groups warn the policy could force terminally ill patients into in-person hospice recertification visits even when telehealth would be appropriate. - The statement frames the issue as a balance between fraud enforcement and access to end-of-life and home-based care.

What happened: - The three associations issued a joint statement on CMS’ May 13, 2026 announcement of temporary nationwide moratoria on new hospice and home health enrollments. - The moratoria took effect immediately. - The groups say they support aggressive enforcement against fraudulent operators. - The groups said CMS went too far by using a blanket national approach instead of a targeted response.

The details: - CMS and the March 2026 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report point to fraud-related enrollment surges during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that were concentrated in Los Angeles County and nearby Southern California, plus parts of Arizona, Nevada and Texas. - The associations said North Carolina and Florida have no indicators of fraud or abuse and already use certificate-of-need processes, licensure vetting and ongoing surveys. - The statement says every hospice program in the two states is known to state regulators through required vetting and oversight. - CMS used county-level and state-level moratoria from 2013 through 2019 in identified fraud hot spots, the groups said. - The CMS notice acknowledges that significant enrollment growth has been concentrated in specific states, the statement says. - In North Carolina, state methodology and public input identified a need for additional hospice capacity. - In Florida, at least 20 hospice programs are in the licensing pipeline, backed by certificates of need and hundreds of thousands of dollars in state licensure spending.

Between the lines: - The groups are arguing that CMS chose administrative simplicity over a more precise anti-fraud strategy. - The statement suggests the policy could punish compliant providers and states with stronger oversight along with bad actors. - The strongest legal concern is telehealth: the groups say Section 6209(f) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 extends telehealth hospice face-to-face recertification through Dec. 31, 2027, but bars that flexibility in any region under a moratorium. - The associations say CMS’ FAQ tries to preserve telehealth for current providers, but they argue the statute’s plain reading could cut off telehealth recertification nationwide.

What’s next: - The groups appear to be pressing CMS to narrow the moratorium to fraud-prone regions or revisit its scope. - They are likely to continue arguing that state-approved hospice expansion in North Carolina and Florida should move forward. - The statement cites an April 2, 2026 letter to Administrator Oz as part of the ongoing push to preserve telehealth flexibility.

The bottom line: - The state associations support anti-fraud enforcement, but they want CMS to use a targeted tool instead of a nationwide enrollment freeze that they say could reduce access and override Congress-approved telehealth flexibility.