There's No Place Like Home Campaign

Home health agencies have only received one Medicaid reimbursement increase in 16 years. The last increase in January 2003 (after 12 years of no increases) supplied home health care providers with a $10 hike taking their reimbursement from $67-$77 for home nursing and therapies while home health aide services experienced a slight increase from $37 to $40 per visit.

There has been NO increase for in-home shift nursing since 1993. This around-the-clock care is primarily provided to medically fragile children so they can remain at home with their families.

To try and secure an increase in the upcoming budget, PHA launched the There's No Place Like Home grassroots advocacy campaign. As part of the campaign PHA is working to secure an increase of $100 for a home health nurse or therapist and an increase of $50 for a home health aide. The estimated cost of this combined Medicaid rate increase for home health care and shift nursing care would be $10.4 million.

Homecare and hospice agencies across the state are asked to partner with PHA in this grassroots advocacy campaign by meeting with local state legislators in their district office before the end of February to deliver the message that There's No Place Like Home.

Below are links to all the tools required to help you have a successful meeting with your respective legislator. The tools include a report produced by PHA to justify the Medicaid rate increase, talking points for the meeting and a leave behind fact sheet for the legislator and his/her staff.

After meeting with a legislator, please take a minute to contact PHA to let us know how the meeting went and what feedback, if any, the legislator provided. This information will be valuable when we meet with legislators in Harrisburg to reinforce the homecare message. There's a feedback form among the resources below.

• Medicaid Rate Increase Justification Report
• Medicaid Rate Fact Sheet
• Medicaid Rate Talking Points
• Do's and Don'ts of Visiting Your Legislator
• Pennsylvania General Assembly - Information on state Senators and Representatives
• Key Targeted Legislators
• State of the Industry Report - Background information on homecare industry
• State of the Industry Report Fact Sheet
• State Medicaid Rates
• Feedback Form

If you have any additional questions, concerns or comments about the campaign, please contact Eric Kiehl, PHA Public Affairs Director at 800.382.1211, ext. 26 or via email.