The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it will extend its nationwide freeze on new Medicare enrollments for hospices and home health agencies for another six months to combat fraud.
CMS said the initial moratoria began May 13, 2026, and aimed to keep potentially fraudulent operators from entering and exploiting Medicare. The agency said the added time lets it continue targeted investigations and use data analytics to identify and remove providers suspected of fraud.
The extensions are nationwide and apply to first-time Medicare enrollment applications and some majority-ownership changes, according to CMS. Unlike the May 2026 pause, current Medicare hospice and home health participants may add additional practice locations under their existing enrollment. CMS said the extensions do not change current enrollments and do not stop enrolled providers from continuing services.
“Medicare beneficiaries deserve protection from these bad actors, and American taxpayers need to know the programs they rely on aren’t being bled dry by fraudsters,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. He said fraud in hospice and home health persists.
CMS said it determined an extension is necessary because the conditions that led to the moratoria have not abated. The agency said it will keep watching for signs of fraud and, when warranted, use tools such as suspending payments and revoking enrollment.
The agency pointed to recent enforcement activity. In October, CMS said site visit teams carried out a two-day sweep of home health agencies and hospices in California that led to 145 revocations tied to more than $703 million in Medicare and Medicaid payments.
CMS said the extensions build on broader fraud prevention tools, including payment suspensions, site visits, fingerprint-based background checks, enhanced enrollment screening, and pre- and post-claim reviews.
CMS also linked the moratoria to changes finalized in the Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System final rule. In that rule, CMS said it can date an enrollment revocation back to when noncompliance began, allowing the agency to recover payments made after that point. The rule adds or broadens reasons CMS can deny or revoke enrollment, including making hospices and home health agencies re-enroll after certain changes in majority ownership, and imposing consequences when licenses, Medicaid participation, or other federal health program participation are suspended or revoked for providers, owners, or managing employees and organizations.
According to CMS, the 2027 home health final rule changes are expected to save taxpayers approximately $82 million annually by strengthening payment recovery authority and preventing high-risk providers from entering or remaining in Medicare.
CMS did not state the exact dates the six-month extensions take effect. The agency directed readers to Federal Register notices for additional information on the hospice and home health moratoria.