Medicare's freeze on new home health and hospice agencies nears its Nov. 13 decision point

For the first time, Medicare has stopped enrolling new home health agencies and hospices anywhere in the country. The pause took effect May 13, 2026, and runs for six months, which puts the decision point at Nov. 13. As of Oct. 2, CMS had not announced whether it will extend the freeze or let it end.

What the moratorium does

CMS announced the six-month moratoria on May 13 "in coordination with Vice President JD Vance's Anti-Fraud Task Force," according to the agency's press release. The formal notices, published in the Federal Register on May 15, say CMS concluded after consulting with the HHS Office of Inspector General that home health agencies and hospices present "significant potential for fraud, waste or abuse."

In practice, the freeze means:

• No new agencies, branches or practice locations can enroll in Medicare unless their application reached the Medicare contractor before May 13.
• Certain changes in majority ownership that require a new enrollment are also covered. CMS says applications like these that were submitted after May 13 will be denied.
• It applies nationwide, including all states, territories and the District of Columbia.

What it does not do

CMS says the moratoria "will not impact current enrollments, and existing providers can continue to deliver services to Medicare beneficiaries." If your family already works with a Medicare-certified home health agency or hospice, the freeze itself does not end that care.

Why Nov. 13 matters

Under CMS's rules, a moratorium lasts six months and can be extended in six-month increments. Any extension has to be published in the Federal Register.

The timing has been a point of friction. At an industry conference in July, the acting director of CMS's Center for Program Integrity said that if the agency decided to extend the freeze, "we will provide 60 days' notice," McKnight's Home Care reported. But in a Sept. 14 message described in a McKnight's column, CMS told members of the National Alliance for Care at Home that it was still evaluating the moratorium's impact and was "under no obligation to provide 60 days' advance notice."

Provider groups want it to end

Two major trade groups have asked CMS to let the freeze lapse, Home Health Care News reported:

• The National Alliance for Care at Home wrote on Sept. 4 that fraud is concentrated in specific metropolitan areas and states, "not a nationwide epidemic of equivalent severity." The Alliance cited its finding that 38% of Medicare beneficiaries did not receive the home health services they were referred for after a hospital discharge in the third quarter of 2025. It said the moratorium did not cause that gap but prevents the providers best placed to close it from doing so.
• LeadingAge, which originally supported the freeze, wrote on Sept. 9 that "legitimate providers are being caught in the crossfire."

What it means for families

• Current care continues. Agencies already enrolled in Medicare are not affected by the pause.
• Check any agency before you choose it. Medicare's Care Compare lists Medicare-certified home health agencies and hospices by location, with quality ratings.
• Ask early if you're facing a hospital discharge. Ask the discharge planner which agencies serve your address and are accepting new patients, so you have options lined up before the discharge date.

What it means for agencies

• Plan for both outcomes. "Providers really should be planning for both possibilities," Alliance CEO Jennifer Sheets said on a Sept. 10 webinar, as quoted by McKnight's.
• Deals and ownership changes: check whether a planned transaction counts as a change in majority ownership that would need a new enrollment. CMS's moratorium FAQs explain which applications are covered.
• Watch the Federal Register and CMS's Provider Enrollment Moratoria page for any notice extending or lifting the freeze.

We'll update this story when CMS announces its decision.