Liberty Partners Group, a strategic consulting firm and lobbying group, is urging the Trump administration to divert funds saved from home health and hospice fraudsters in Los Angeles County back into home care. That is according to former Sen. Debbie Stabenow and former BAYADA Chief Government Affairs Officer Dave Totaro, who now work on behalf of Liberty Partners Group. In a McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers podcast, they talked about how cuts to funding, onerous regulations and the staffing shortage represent three major threats to the field.
Recently retired Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and Dave Totaro, former BAYADA chief government affairs officer, are excited to bring their healthcare expertise and talents to the bipartisan Liberty Partners Group. Reimbursement challenges for the field are nothing new, they said. What keeps Totaro up at night is the dwindling number of home health agencies. There are 10% fewer agencies today than in 2013, he said. Stabenow is pleased with the progress that took place last year with the 2026 home health final rule, which marked the end of permanent adjustments. Now Liberty Partners is working with the administration to help restore home health funding to 2020 levels when the Patient-Driven Groupings Model began. It also is urging the administration to use verifiable data to fight fraud in home health and hospice. Given the harsh Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 2026 and 2027 promise to be some of the toughest years financially for the field, Totaro said. He also expects home health to experience cuts for 2027 and does not think any major home care legislation will pass before the midterms.
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Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Debbie Stabenow, senior policy adviser at Liberty Partners Group; and Dave Totaro, principal at Liberty Partners Group