Government shutdown places hospital-at-home program in limbo

The continuing government shutdown has caused some hospitals to withdraw from the Medicare hospital-at-home program and require patients to return to the hospital for treatment, resulting in the availability of fewer beds. Central Massachusetts-based UMass Memorial Health brought patients back to the hospital and saw the number of people waiting for a bed increase to nearly 70 from around 50 one week after the shutdown began. Waivers signed during the pandemic allowing the program expired Oct. 1, resulting in uncertainty over the program’s fate and leading some hospital executives to raise concerns that some facilities will opt out of participating. The American Hospital Association supports bipartisan legislation (H.R. 4313/S. 2237) to extend the program for five more years. (Politico article, 10/14/25)