Congresswoman Tenney Pens Letter Urging CMS to Address Medicare Fraud Before Cutting Home Health Payments

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24)today led a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calling on the agency to address widespread Medicare Home Health fraud and fix the underlying data underpinning future payment decisions to prevent potential harm to seniors and law-abiding providers.

The CMS's 2026 proposal would slash home health payments by 6.4 percent, over $1 billion nationwide, on top of nearly 9 percent in cuts since 2023. These reductions come as fraudulent billing in Los Angeles County has distorted national data relied on by CMS to determine payments to home health providers. Los Angeles now accounts for nearly 10 percent of all Medicare home health spending, driven by schemes involving shell agencies and ghost patients already flagged by federal investigators.

Meanwhile, access to care is collapsing in our district that is home to over 270,000 seniors on Medicare. Home health use dropped -39% and almost 26,000 Medicare beneficiaries did not receive services between 2018 through 2024, with 46% of patients referred to home health not receiving care in 2024. Two home health agencies stopped serving NY-24 closed since 2018, leaving just 13 agencies providing home health services.

"Home health care is a lifeline that keeps our seniors safe, independent, and cared for at home," said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. "Medicare fraud in California shouldn't cost seniors their care in New York or anywhere else. Before moving forward with any potential cuts to home health, CMS must fix the data, root out the fraud, and protect the seniors who depend on this essential benefit."

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