CMS Imposes Nationwide Enrollment Moratoria on Hospice and Home Health Providers

What Happened
On May 13, 2026, CMS imposed six-month nationwide enrollment moratoria on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies (HHAs), one of the most sweeping provider enrollment actions in the agency’s history. Developed in coordination with Vice President Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, the moratoria freeze all new initial enrollment applications and, critically, certain changes in majority ownership. CMS has cited systemic fraud in both sectors as the driver, pointing to the suspension of payments to 773 hospices and 23 HHAs in Los Angeles alone, representing roughly $70 million in suspended funds.

Who Is Affected
New market entrants. Pending applications will not be processed, and new applications cannot be submitted until the moratorium is lifted. Six months is the stated term, but CMS has authority to extend it.

Pending acquisitions. The moratorium covers certain changes in majority ownership—a deliberate move by CMS to close the restructuring loophole bad actors have long exploited. If you are under a purchase agreement where closing would trigger a new enrollment application, that transaction may be frozen.

Existing enrolled providers. The freeze does not interrupt current billing, but CMS has made clear it will use the moratorium period to intensify investigations and accelerate revocations. Providers in Arizona, California, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, and Texas face heightened scrutiny, and CMS is conducting unannounced site visits nationwide. Do not assume that being legitimate insulates you from inquiry, CMS’s analytics flag statistical outliers regardless of intent.

What You Should Do Now

Confirm that your enrollment record—practice location, authorized officials, ownership disclosures—is current and accurate with CMS. Review your billing patterns against published benchmarks, and if you are in a high-risk state, review your metrics against the new CMS hospice scoring system.

This moratorium is not an isolated event. It is part of a sustained federal enforcement push that will outlast the six-month freeze. If you have questions about your enrollment status, a pending transaction, or your compliance obligations, contact us directly.