TL;DR
Turn quiet afternoons into listening time
- Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts and originals
- Listen on your phone, tablet or Echo — also offline
- Cancel anytime
Senate Democrats on the Finance Committee published an 81-page request for information on Oct. 16, seeking input on home care and long-term care benefits across Medicare and Medicaid. The RFI is a call for feedback, not a new benefit or a commitment to enact one; lawmakers and industry groups are still weighing design, funding, workforce and oversight questions.
Senate Democrats on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee published an 81-page request for information on Oct. 16, seeking views on how home care and long-term care benefits could be expanded through Medicare and Medicaid. The RFI is a request for public input, not an adopted coverage change, and comes after lawmakers introduced the Medicare At Home Act in August.
The committee is asking what a potential universal home care benefit might include and how it could fit into existing health care programs, provider networks and the broader care system. The report says the RFI also addresses service affordability and access, the caregiving workforce, eligibility consistency and availability of services across the country.
The August bill, called the Medicare At Home Act, would add a home care benefit to Medicare Part B. Its proposed services include help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities such as meal preparation and light housekeeping. The RFI is a separate step: it seeks information on policy options and does not itself establish those services as Medicare benefits.
Patrick Harrison, vice president of policy and legislative affairs for the National Alliance for Care at Home, told Home Health Care News that his organization plans to submit comments. Jason Lee, CEO of the Home Care Association of America, also said his organization intends to contribute members’ experience and recommendations. Both groups represent providers and workers in the home care sector.
Designing a Benefit Providers Can Deliver
The RFI puts practical questions about access, affordability and capacity into the policy discussion. A benefit that covers help at home could affect older adults, people with disabilities and families arranging support, but the source report does not establish who would qualify, what services would be covered or how much the program would pay.
Provider groups say any expansion would depend on the availability and stability of the workforce. Lee told Home Health Care News that a Medicare benefit should account for competitive wages, training and caregiver benefits, while also protecting small community-based providers. These are stakeholders’ recommendations, not terms already written into a finalized proposal.
The questions matter because adding coverage without enough workers or participating providers could limit access in practice. The RFI also raises the need for care coordination and safeguards against fraud and abuse, according to Lee. How lawmakers balance wider coverage with program costs, provider capacity and oversight remains central to any future legislation.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From August Bill to Public Input
The RFI follows the introduction in August 2026 of the Medicare At Home Act, which proposes adding home care services to Medicare Part B. Industry advocates and providers have voiced support for that bill since its introduction, according to Home Health Care News. The committee’s October request broadens the discussion to options involving both Medicare and Medicaid.
The National Alliance for Care at Home represents a network of more than 2 million professionals across home health, Medicaid home- and community-based services, hospice, palliative care and other home care fields, according to the source report. The Home Care Association of America represents more than 5,000 home care agencies. Their planned submissions would bring provider perspectives to the committee’s information-gathering process, but neither organization’s position determines what lawmakers will propose.
“This RFI raises important questions about strategies to make services more affordable and accessible, strengthen the caregiving workforce and give individuals and families meaningful choices about how and where they receive care.”
— Jason Lee, CEO of the Home Care Association of America, speaking to Home Health Care News
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Coverage Rules and Costs Remain Open
The available report does not specify a proposed benefit design, eligibility standard, payment rate or funding plan resulting from the RFI. It also does not say whether the committee will endorse a particular approach, revise the August bill or pursue a separate legislative proposal.
Questions remain about how any new coverage would coordinate with existing Medicare and Medicaid services, how many people might qualify, and how lawmakers would address workforce shortages and differences in provider capacity across locations. The RFI itself does not guarantee that a benefit will be enacted or provide a timeline for legislative action.
light housekeeping tools for seniors
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Stakeholder Comments and Committee Review
The National Alliance for Care at Home and the Home Care Association of America have said they plan to respond to the RFI. Their submissions, along with input from other stakeholders, could inform lawmakers’ consideration of benefit scope, workforce requirements and safeguards. The source report does not provide a comment deadline or a date for the committee’s next decision.
The next confirmed step is the information-gathering process prompted by the Oct. 16 publication. Any change to Medicare or Medicaid coverage would require further policy and legislative action; whether lawmakers will advance such a proposal, and on what schedule, remains unknown.
activities of daily living support products
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is the 81-page RFI?
It is a request for information published by Senate Finance Committee Democrats on Oct. 16, 2026, seeking input on possible home care and long-term care benefits in Medicare and Medicaid. It is not a final policy or a new benefit.
Would the RFI add home care to Medicare?
No. The RFI asks for information about potential policy approaches. The separate Medicare At Home Act, introduced in August, proposes adding certain home care services to Medicare Part B, but the source report does not say it has become law.
What services does the August bill propose?
The Medicare At Home Act would cover help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities such as meal preparation and light housekeeping, according to the report. The RFI does not establish that these services will be covered.
What concerns have home care groups raised?
Provider groups have highlighted affordability, workforce capacity and access. The Home Care Association of America’s CEO said lawmakers should consider caregiver wages, training and benefits, protections for small providers, care coordination and safeguards against fraud and abuse.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
