Community Health Worker Access Act

The Community Health Worker Access Act expands Medicare Part B coverage to include preventive care and services addressing social determinants of health provided by community health agencies, with benefits taking effect on January 1, 2027. These services are paid at 100 percent of the lesser of the actual charge or a federally established fee schedule, and they are exempt from Medicare deductibles. The bill also gives states an optional pathway to cover these same services under Medicaid, requiring state plan amendments that include workforce recruitment strategies and efforts to remove barriers for organizations that do not typically bill insurance. To support this expansion, the federal government increases its share of Medicaid costs by 6 percentage points for eligible community health expenditures in participating states.