CMS announces aggressive nationwide crackdown on fraud with six-month hospice and home health agency enrollment moratoria 
CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 5/13/26 
In coordination with Vice President JD Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking decisive action to protect Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayer dollars through implementation of a six-month, nationwide data-driven moratoria on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies (HHAs). The moratoria will allow CMS to temporarily halt the influx of new providers into these high-risk categories—a key source of fraudulent activity. Today’s move continues the Trump Administration’s crackdown on fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare program by stopping improper billing and preventing bad actors from entering the system.

Watch recording: JD Vance holds press conference on anti-fraud initiatives 
Washington Examiner | White House | YouTube | PBS News; by David Zimmermann; 5/13/26 
Vice President JD Vance held a press conference Wednesday afternoon on anti-fraud initiatives he has been spearheading alongside other officials. Since March, the vice president has led the White House task force designed to combat fraud across the nation. Reported fraud in Minnesota served as the impetus for the task force’s creation, according to an executive order. 

NPHI commends CMS action to implement temporary nationwide hospice moratorium to strengthen hospice program integrity 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation | NPHI, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/13/26 
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care, applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement of a temporary six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare hospice enrollments that will help stop fraudulent operators from exploiting the Medicare hospice benefit. NPHI was the first organization in the nation to publicly call for a temporary nationwide moratorium, formally urging CMS to take this action in a March 25, 2026 letter sent to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and Deputy Administrator and COO Kim Brandt.

The Alliance responds to CMS’s announcement of nationwide enrollment moratoria on hospice and home health providers  
National Alliance for Care at Home | The Alliance; Press Release; 5/13/26 
On May 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a six-month national moratorium on hospice and home health enrollment in response to program integrity concerns within the Medicare programs. While the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) strongly supports efforts to root out bad actors who exploit these essential programs, undermine confidence in care at home, and threaten the patients and families who depend on it, the Alliance has long advocated for targeted strategies that distinguish between high-fraud markets and communities where fraud is not an identified problem and patients already face shortages of providers. 

CMS leader explains hospice fraud, Medicare risks, and the future of healthcare | part one 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kim Brandt; 5/13/26 
In this compelling first installment, CMS Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator Kim Brandt joins Chris Comeaux for a candid conversation about the growing hospice fraud crisis, the financial future of Medicare, and the urgent transformation happening across American healthcare. Drawing from her leadership role at CMS and firsthand experiences with hospice care in her own family, Brandt shares why hospice remains a critical pillar of compassionate care — while also exposing the alarming abuse threatening the integrity of the system.

Generous community support drives new hospice home project: longtime community member LeRoy Havel donates $500,000 to End of Life Hospice Home coming to Washington 
Southeast Iowa Union, Washington, IA; by Giovanni Coronel; 5/11/26 
A generous donation of $500,000 from longtime community member and benefactor LeRoy Havel was given in support of an End of Life Hospice Home (EOLH) coming to Washington during a presentation on May 8. A EOLH is a place where individuals can spend their final days in comfort, dignity, and peace with around-the-clock-care in a home-like setting. It will be the first one of its kind in Washington and in Washington County.

Ribbon cutting held for Bernardo Hospice Care 
The Newberry Observer, Newberry, SC; by Kelly Duncan; 5/11/26 
Dr. Michael Bernardo has been a staple in the Newberry community for over 30 years, providing care for families in all stages of life, from childbirth and adult medicine to making the transition to geriatric care and opening his own hospice practice, Bernardo Hospice Care, in 2023. Last week, Bernardo Hospice Care was officially welcomed into the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony. ... Earlier this year Beranardo was named Physician of the Year by the SC Home Care & Hospice Association. ...

My daughter died when she was 2 1/2. I was stunned by how the medical system handled my grief. 
The Boston Globe Opinion; by Kristen Dillon; 5/11/26 
... My daughter had died only days before and the doctor wanted to find a way to improve my mood. To me, it sent the message that my grief and sadness were pathological, and when the antidepressant kicked in, I would feel better. Drawing from my clinical background, I knew my sadness and despair were not symptoms of a major depressive episode but rather a normal grief experience. ... Ultimately, the providers who I found most successful at grief-informed care have been the ones who ... make room for my grief. They say the thing I most want to hear. Her name.

Hospice fraud is becoming a political flashpoint. Why? 
National Public Radio WAMU; podcast by Michelle Harven with Sheila Clark, Eric Widera, and Hillary Loeffler; 5/11/26 
The state of California recently charged 21 people with hospice fraud, accusing them of costing the state $267 million. These types of schemes start with criminals opening up shell companies, signing recipients up without their knowledge, and then billing Medi-Cal for nonexistent services. This can have a serious effect on a senior’s ability to find care in the future. And it’s not just a state matter. The push to uncover this kind of fraud has become a political battle ... We sit down and talk about why we’re seeing this kind of fraud happen, who it harms, and why it’s become a political flashpoint. [On this webpage, scroll down to "Transcript" for the full content.]

Baylor students learn care as healing in hospice class 
Waco Tribune-Herald, Waco, TX; by Carl Hoover; 5/12/26 
A spring class for Baylor University medical humanities students put them in contact with something that medical training often skirts around: people who are dying and beyond what medicine can heal. The class, a partnership between Baylor and Providence Hospice, exposes students to the dynamics of hospice care through weekly contact with hospice patients, shadowing the routines of social workers, hospice workers and chaplains, plus and regular group discussions with classmates on their experiences. The hospice class was the brainchild of former Baylor medical humanities professor Bill Hoy, who started the class in 2020, recalled Sonya Wilson. Wilson, the volunteer coordinator for Providence Hospice, continues to teach the hospice class in collaboration with Baylor post-doctorate teaching fellow Levi Durham. [Full access may be limited by a paywall.]
Editor's Note: Recent newsletter posts about Dr. Bill Hoy include "Bridging the differences in care for grieving people: Worden’s differentiation between grief counseling and grief therapy" and "Not everything that can be counted ..."

PARC retreat explores how aging, workforce strains, and federal debt are reshaping U.S. health care 
Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 5/13/26 
Penn Gathering of Experts Examines the Growing Pressures Facing Older Americans
In predicting the future of U.S. health care, it is important to recognize that the long-term health of the population depends not just on medical policy, innovation, or care delivery, but on whether the federal government can sustainably finance the systems that pay for that care, Penn Wharton School Professor and national budget expert Kent Smetters, PhD, told the May 1, 2026 Penn Population Aging Research Center (PARC) Annual Retreat. 

May you live all the days of your life. ~ Jonathan Swift