Proposal Would Allow States to Pay Home Health Worker Benefits

States would be able to use Medicaid money to pay for home health workers’ health and training benefits or union dues under a proposed rule issued Friday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The proposed rule, if finalized, would re-establish states’ flexibility to allow home care workers and personal care assistants to enroll in—and use Medicaid to pay for—"typical employee benefits” like health insurance or employee training. It would apply to individual health practitioners who rely on Medicaid for their livelihood, generally by taking care of some of the “most vulnerable” beneficiaries in their own homes, the CMS ...