07.19.2023 / Statement

New Medicare reimbursement finally compensates community health workers, health care’s unsung heroes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA, issued the following statement about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) newly proposed coding and payment guidelines covering community health workers’ (CHW) services through Medicare.

“After toiling in the shadows as a trusted voice and support system for their neighbors and communities — especially during the onset of the pandemic — CMS increasingly recognizes the vital role that CHW’s play in reducing barriers to health as trusted non-clinical community members who have a shared culture, language, and experience with the people they serve.

For far too long, the lack of Medicare coding and payment guidelines for CHWs has created a barrier between these unsung health care heroes and their patients— including millions of patients who are low-income, homebound, and disabled residents from communities of color. Improving outcomes, helping to lower other health care costs, and providing culturally relevant services that address the 80-90% of social drivers impacting health outcomes should be widely supported.

We appreciate the effort that CMS has made towards properly compensating, recognizing, and supporting CHWs in the health care system. We look forward to reviewing their new proposal. And further, recognition of the community-based workforce must be an integral part of CMS’s continued commitment to improving health equity and justice.”

###