Policy & oversight
CMS Renews Medicare Enrollment Freeze for Home Health and Hospice Through May 2027
The six-month ban on new hospice and home health agencies entering Medicare was extended before its November 13 expiration, with one new accommodation for established providers.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamNovember 13, 2026
CMS announced on November 12, 2026 that it was extending its nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for home health agencies and hospices for another six months, keeping the freeze in place through May 12, 2027.
The original moratorium launched May 13, 2026 as a fraud-prevention measure targeting what CMS described as a wave of potentially fraudulent operators trying to enter Medicare. A CMS official said in late October that the freeze had blocked roughly 300 applicants whose enrollment applications raised fraud concerns.
The Medicare enrollment freeze on new home health and hospice providers was extended through May 2027 before its expiration this week.
The extension includes one meaningful modification from the original rules. Currently enrolled hospices and home health agencies may now open new practice locations under their existing Medicare enrollment numbers, a step the original freeze did not permit. The moratorium otherwise continues to bar first-time applicants and blocks certain changes in majority ownership.
Existing enrolled providers face no disruption and may continue treating patients. CMS said the extended freeze allows the agency to keep monitoring providers for fraud indicators and to take administrative actions such as payment suspensions and revocations when warranted.
Home health and hospice services have been longstanding fraud-oversight priorities for CMS. Both sectors carry relatively low startup costs and can be used to bill for services not delivered or not medically necessary, drawing repeated federal enforcement attention.
CMS said it may lift, modify, or extend the moratorium again when it reaches its May 12, 2027 expiration.
In plain words
Medicare has a rule that stops new home health agencies and hospice companies from joining the program. That rule was set to end this week. Instead, the government decided to keep it going for six more months, until May 2027.
The rule is meant to stop fraud. Some companies tried to sign up for Medicare and then bill for services they never gave. Blocking new sign-ups slows that down.
One thing is different this time: companies already in Medicare can now open new offices in other locations. Before, the rule did not allow that.
If you use a home health agency or hospice right now, your provider is not affected. The rule only blocks new companies from joining Medicare. Your care continues as normal.
Understand the basics first
Source: CMS
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