McBride, Van Drew Celebrate Saving Nearly $1 Billion for Home Health Following Bipartisan Push to Protect Seniors’ Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) celebrated a major bipartisan victory for seniors, families, and home health workers after the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its long-delayed CY 2026 home health payment final rule. The final rule dramatically scales back the cuts originally proposed by CMS — thanks to bipartisan efforts led by Rep. McBride and Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), who urged the agency in October to halt harmful reductions. 

According to CMS, the final rule decreases overall home health payments by an aggregate 1.3% — or $220 million — compared to 2025, far below the 6.4% aggregate cuts initially proposed. The National Alliance for Care at Home estimates that this change means providers will see approximately $915 million more in payments next year than expected. 

“This is what bipartisan, common-sense problem solving looks like,” said Rep. McBride. “When CMS proposed the largest home health cut in recent history, families across Delaware told me the same thing: these services are a lifeline. Because we listened — and because my colleague Rep. Van Drew worked across the aisle with me — we protected nearly a billion dollars for care that keeps seniors safe at home, reduces hospitalizations, and supports the workers who make that care possible.”

“This is a big win for our seniors and for the families who count on home health care every single day,” said Congressman Van Drew. “CMS heard us loud and clear. A cut of more than six percent would have been devastating, and while a 1.3 percent reduction is still not perfect, it is a major step in the right direction. Home health is what lets people recover safely at home and stay close to the people they love. I’m going to keep fighting until every senior has access to the care they need and deserve.”

In October, McBride and Van Drew led a bipartisan letter warning CMS that its proposed 6.4% aggregate reduction — equal to more than $1.1 billion in cuts nationwide — would severely undermine agencies’ ability to provide care to patients where they want it most: at home. This bipartisan letter followed a letter sent by Rep. Dingell sent on August 29, 2025. Their letter highlighted the consequences already facing communities: closures of home health agencies, worsening workforce shortages, and thousands of patients in Delaware and New Jersey losing access to care since 2019. 

McBride continued: “Home health care is not a luxury — it’s dignity. It’s a grandmother recovering safely at home, a loved one avoiding an unnecessary hospital stay, a family staying together during the hardest moments. I’m grateful CMS heard our concerns, and I’ll keep working with Republicans and Democrats alike to strengthen the care economy and lower costs for families.”

“This decision is a lifeline for seniors and families across Delaware,” said Sue Getman, Executive Director of the Delaware Association for Home and Community Care. “A cut of the size CMS originally proposed would have meant fewer caregivers, longer waitlists, and more older adults forced into higher-cost settings. We’re grateful to Congresswoman McBride for standing up for the dignity of aging Delawareans and the workforce that supports them.”

BACKGROUND

• In June 2025, CMS proposed a 6.4% cut to home health payments amounting to $1.135 billion in cuts nationwide—on top of nearly 9% in reductions over the past three years. This would have resulted in the largest reduction in the 30-day payment rate ever considered in the program’s history. 
• On October 8, 2025, McBride and Van Drew led a bipartisan letter urging CMS to halt the cuts and reconsider its methodology, citing risks to seniors’ access to in-home care. 
• The lawmakers’ letter detailed the direct impact on Delaware and New Jersey, where thousands of Medicare beneficiaries have lost access to home health services since 2019. 
• On November 28, 2025, CMS released the final rule, reducing the cut to 1.3% — preserving roughly $915 million that home health agencies would have lost under the original proposal. 

Rep. McBride has spent her career focused on expanding and improving the care economy in Congress for all Americans. She serves as the Chair of the New Democrat Coalition's Care Economy Task Force.

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