Rep. Troy Balderson

Maddy summaryThis bill prevents Medicare from publicly disclosing a physician's or practitioner's home address if they provide telehealth services from home and the address is required for enrollment or billing. It directly affects doctors and healthcare providers who choose to deliver telehealth services from their residences. The key provision amends Medicare rules to ensure that even when an address is needed for administrative purposes, the home location remains private and cannot be shared publicly. This is a specific privacy safeguard, not a broad policy change to telehealth services.

Maddy summaryThe WEAR IT Act (HR 6279) allows individuals to use funds from tax-advantaged health savings accounts (HSAs), Archer MSAs, and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to cover the cost of medical wearable devices, up to $375 annually. It defines "wearable devices" as body-worn tools that collect physiological data for diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease. The bill amends tax code provisions to include these devices as qualified medical expenses, effective for purchases after December 31, 2023. This directly affects people using medical wearables who rely on tax-advantaged health accounts for out-of-pocket costs.

Maddy summaryHR 5840, the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act of 2024, simplifies the process for transportation workers to obtain multiple TSA security credentials. It requires the TSA to allow individuals to apply for and renew programs like the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) and HAZMAT Endorsement through a single enrollment at any TSA center, with a combined fee lower than separate applications. The bill mandates coordinated expiration dates for all credentials and ensures state-issued commercial driver's licenses reflect the correct HAZMAT endorsement validity. These changes aim to reduce duplication and costs for workers needing multiple security clearances. The TSA must implement these changes within two years and publish details online.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 5796, prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from implementing a proposed rule requiring minimum staffing levels in nursing homes. It creates an advisory panel of 15 members - including rural nursing home staff and experts - to study workforce shortages and report on access barriers for seniors, especially in rural areas. The panel must submit an initial report within 60 days, analyzing staffing challenges and recommending solutions to strengthen the nursing home workforce. These provisions directly aim to prevent nursing home closures (like the 129 that occurred in 2022) that threaten rural seniors’ access to care.

Maddy summaryHR 5388, the Supporting Innovation for Seniors Act, allows Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to cover certain new medical technologies and devices starting in 2025. Specifically, it permits MA plans to provide supplemental benefits for medical devices with coverage determinations for different uses than standard Medicare coverage, or technologies that don’t fit into existing benefit categories. The bill lets the Medicare administrator waive standard uniformity rules for these specific supplemental benefits. This directly affects seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans who may gain access to newer health technologies not previously covered under their plan. The change modifies existing Medicare rules without altering core coverage for most beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Medicare billing rules to make remote patient monitoring more accessible. It requires Medicare to cover remote monitoring services with a minimum of 2 days of patient data collected over a 30-day period (instead of the current 16 days), affecting Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers. The policy applies to all patients, not just those with COVID-19, and is effective for two years after enactment. The bill also mandates a report to Congress within one year analyzing remote monitoring data and recommending future reimbursement models based on patient needs.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits Medicare from paying for certain custom-fitted or custom-fabricated orthotic and prosthetic devices delivered via "drop shipment" (direct shipping without in-person training from a qualified provider). It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries who need these devices, ensuring they receive necessary in-person fitting and training. The bill also expands which healthcare professionals (including physical therapists, occupational therapists, orthotists, and prosthetists) can prescribe these devices and updates definitions to clarify terms like "orthoses" and "prostheses." Final regulations implementing these changes must be issued within one year of the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThe CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 aims to expand access to telehealth services under Medicare by removing barriers that previously limited who could provide these services and where they could be delivered. The bill eliminates geographic restrictions on telehealth coverage, allows telehealth services to be provided from the patient's home and other clinically appropriate locations, and expands the types of healthcare providers who can offer telehealth services. It also improves the process for adding new telehealth services to Medicare coverage and includes provisions to ensure quality measurement includes telehealth services. This legislation directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking remote care and healthcare providers delivering telehealth services, with key provisions taking effect between 2024 and 2025.

Maddy summaryThe Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act (HR 3882) updates U.S. trade law to better address international trade practices that disadvantage American businesses. It establishes special rules for handling multiple investigations of the same merchandise (called "successive investigations"), requiring the Commerce Department to consider previous injury determinations when making new findings. The bill also creates mechanisms to address market distortions from foreign government subsidies, including currency undervaluation, and strengthens procedures to prevent duty evasion through certification requirements for importers. These changes primarily affect foreign exporters of goods subject to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, as well as U.S. importers of those goods.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare to cover genetic counseling services provided by licensed genetic counselors at 85% of the physician payment rate. It defines "genetic counselor" as a state-licensed professional (or meeting federal criteria in non-licensing states) and mandates a new billing modifier for these services starting January 1, 2024. Medicare beneficiaries seeking genetic counseling would gain expanded access to these services under this coverage. The policy change applies to services furnished on or after the effective date, with implementation via interim rule.