It had been. Between 1990 and 1997, the provision of home health agency services was one of Medicare’s fastest-growing expenses. During this period, expenditures rose from $3.3 billion to $18.0 billion. Home health was negatively affected by Medicare payment reductions imposed by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. By 2000, more than 3,000 agencies closed or merged.
This article originally appeared on McKnight's
