Help Us Protect Home Health Care from Medicare Cuts!

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a devastating 9% cut—$1 billion nationwide—to Medicare home health care reimbursement in 2026. This would be the deepest funding reduction home health care organizations like ours have ever faced. If finalized, these cuts would sharply limit access to care for millions of Americans—including our own patients and the communities we serve.

What’s at Stake Here in New York

• Since 2020, Medicare payment reductions have already cut agency revenues by more than 13%.
• 17 New York home care agencies have closed in the past 6 years, including 5 just this past year.
• Use of home care services in New York State has dropped by more than 25%—and in “home health deserts” like the Bronx, it’s down nearly 40% or more. (For additional details, click here.)

“If CMS goes through with these latest reductions, many more New Yorkers will be unable to get the care they need,” warns CEO Dan Savitt.

How VNS Health Is Responding

• We are meeting with members of Congress, including U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres from the Bronx, to explain how the proposed cut impacts their districts and what action they should take.
• We are submitting official comments to CMS and meeting directly with agency leadership.
• Our home health clinicians are submitting their personal stories as comments opposing the cuts.
• We are joining national advocacy events in Washington, D.C. this September to raise our concerns.

Here’s How You Can Take Action

We need every voice at VNS Health to make a difference:

1. Click this link to send a pre-populated message to your Members of Congress.
2. Optional: Personalize your message to share your perspective.
3. Enter your name, email, and address, then click “Send Message.”
4. Forward your confirmation email to [email protected] in Government Affairs so we can track our collective impact.
5. Ask friends and family (including in other states) to take action too!

It’s Important We Speak Up

Every day, we see how home health care keeps people safe, independent, and where they want to be—at home. Together, we must act now to stop these cuts and protect access to care for the patients and communities that rely on us.