Trump administration pauses Medicare enrollments for hospice providers amid fraud investigations
Politics – CBSNews.com — 2026-05-13 11:43:00 — www.cbsnews.com
Washington — The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will be enacting a six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollments by hospice and home health agencies to target fraud. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, during the moratorium, “CMS will intensify targeted investigations, deploy advanced data analytics, and accelerate the removal of hospice and HHA providers from the Medicare program that are suspected of committing fraud.” CMS says the moratoria will not impact current enrollments, and existing providers will be able to continue serving Medicare beneficiaries.
“We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a statement. “Today we’re shutting the door on fraud—preventing new bad actors from entering Medicare while we aggressively identify, investigate, and remove those already exploiting them. This is about protecting patients, restoring integrity, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.”
The announcement comes the same day Vice President JD Vance, who heads up the White House’s anti-fraud task force, speaks in Bangor, Maine, about the administration’s efforts to combat fraud.
### How this sits against verifiable accuracy
The Trump administration’s announcement implies a significant crackdown on fraud within the Medicare system, particularly in the hospice and home health sectors. The statement from CMS highlights the intention to protect vulnerable patients and taxpayer dollars by preventing new fraudulent providers from entering the system while enhancing investigations into existing ones.
### How this compares to what he has said before
In previous statements, Trump has emphasized the need to combat fraud in various government programs, including Medicare. However, this announcement marks a more direct and immediate action compared to earlier discussions, which often focused on broader themes of government waste and inefficiency without specifying targeted measures like the current moratorium.
In summary, the administration’s new policy reflects a more aggressive stance on fraud prevention in Medicare, aligning with Trump’s past rhetoric but demonstrating a shift towards actionable steps in addressing the issue.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicare-enrollment-hospice-fraud-trump-administration/