In May 2026, Medicare launched an anti-fraud effort and paused all new enrollments of hospice and home health companies nationwide. The goal is to stop health care fraud, not to disrupt your care.
According to CMS, this pause only affects new companies trying to join Medicare. If your current provider is already enrolled and Medicare-certified, nothing changes for you. The one exception: if CMS investigates your provider, finds fraud, and shuts it down, you would need to find a new one.
In this article, you will learn what this enrollment freeze is, why Medicare acted, and which states are under extra review. You will also learn how to confirm your provider is Medicare-approved, so you can feel confident about the care you receive.
A moratorium is a temporary pause on new provider enrollments. On May 13, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this pause for all hospice and home health agencies nationwide. It stops new hospice and home health agencies from enrolling in Medicare for six months. The pause covers the whole country and runs through mid-November 2026. The moratorium was officially published in the Federal Register on May 15, 2026.
Why did Medicare act? Fraud. According to CMS, some dishonest companies billed Medicare for care that was never given, and even enrolled patients who were not terminally ill. CMS suspended payments to 773 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles alone. Those suspended payments total about $70 million.
The moratorium is intended to stop new bad actors from entering Medicare while CMS investigates and removes existing fraudulent hospice and home health operators. The action is part of the Trump Administration’s broader effort to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare. A nationwide pause also stops dishonest operators from dodging the rules by simply moving to another state.
According to CMS, the moratorium does not affect providers already enrolled in Medicare. Existing providers can continue to care for patients and bill Medicare as normal. However, CMS is also taking enforcement actions against existing providers suspected of fraud. If your current provider shuts down, you will need to find a new one.
You can also still start hospice or home health care if your doctor says you need it. The pause blocks new companies, not new patients.
So who is blocked? The pause blocks any hospice or HHA (home health agency) from joining Medicare for the first time. It also covers certain ownership transfers, which bad actors sometimes use to hide who really runs a company.
The fraud concern is real. KFF, a trusted health policy research group, describes one $17 million scheme that used sham hospices. The scheme billed Medicare for people who were not dying and who never got care. Protecting your Medicare number helps stop schemes like this one.
Agent tip:
“Fraud in hospice and home health often starts with a stolen Medicare number. Guard your Medicare card like a credit card, never share it with anyone who contacts you by phone, at your door, or in exchange for gifts or cash.”
According to CMS, six states have been identified as high-risk areas for hospice and home health fraud. These states are Arizona, California, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas. In California, the state Department of Public Health has already revoked more than 280 hospice licenses and is reviewing 300 more.
Heightened oversight means Medicare checks new hospice providers in these states more closely. That includes visits to their offices and a closer look at the bills they send. If you live in one of these states, this does not mean your provider did anything wrong. It means Medicare is watching new companies more carefully to protect you.
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Local, licensed insurance agents with 25+ years of combined experienceYou can check any home health and hospice provider in just a few minutes. As Medicare.gov reports, the Care Compare tool lists every Medicare-certified provider. Medicare-certified means the provider met Medicare’s health and safety rules.
Follow these steps:
More help is coming. In April 2026, CMS proposed a new public scoring tool for hospices. The tool would flag hospices with troubling patterns in billing, quality, or compliance. CMS plans to post the scores online so families can compare hospices with confidence.
Medicare’s six-month pause on new hospice and home health companies is about stopping fraud, not cutting your care. Your current provider, your benefits, and your costs stay the same. Use Care Compare to confirm your provider is Medicare-certified. And guard your Medicare number. If anything on a Medicare statement looks wrong, ask questions early.
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No. Your Medicare hospice benefit stays the same. Coverage rules, costs, and services are not changing. The pause affects companies that want to join Medicare, not the benefits you receive.
Yes. CMS may extend a moratorium in six-month periods if fraud concerns remain. Watch for updates on CMS.gov or ask your provider what they have heard.
Watch for hospice charges on your Medicare statements when you never chose hospice. Be careful if someone offers gifts, groceries, or cash to sign you up. Never share your Medicare number with strangers.
To report fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). You can also reach the Senior Medicare Patrol, a no-cost, federally funded program that helps you review your statements and catch billing errors. Or speak with a Connie Health licensed insurance agent at (623) 223-8884 for personalized guidance.
No. Medicare Advantage plans still cover home health care the same way. Hospice care is still paid through Original Medicare, even when you have a Medicare Advantage plan.
Read more by Renee van Staveren
Since 2009, I've been writing about complicated, technical issues, with the goal of making topics like Medicare and healthcare easier to understand. I've been writing about Medicare since 2021 and healthcare since 2019. I am an AmeriCorps alumni. I enjoy gardening, reading, and DIYing.
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