This bill extends the deadline for certain veterans' dependents to file claims for medical care under the CHAMPVA program. It applies to individuals already eligible for CHAMPVA benefits who also have Medicare Part A hospital coverage. The key change ensures that after receiving official approval for retroactive care, these individuals have a full 365 days (not earlier than one year) to file their claim. The extension applies from the bill's enactment date until September 30, 2027.
This bill clarifies that temporary medical staff (locum tenens physicians and advanced practitioners) working in rural or underserved areas are treated as independent contractors - not employees - by federal programs for key purposes. It specifically affects how these temporary workers are classified under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Civil Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health programs, ensuring they aren’t deemed employees of the healthcare facility they temporarily serve. The bill requires a written agreement between the temporary staff and the facility, with an exception for cases where an explicit employer-employee contract is signed. It explicitly does not change tax treatment, state licensing rules, or eligibility for Medicare/Medicaid benefits.
This bill creates a new Medicaid health home program specifically for people with sickle cell disease (SCD), beginning January 1, 2026. It requires states to provide dental and vision services to SCD patients enrolled in these health homes, regardless of whether they offer such services generally to other Medicaid beneficiaries. States must also report on care quality, access, and costs for SCD patients using these specialized health homes, and the federal government must publish best practices for implementing the program by June 2026. The bill directly affects Medicaid patients diagnosed with SCD and state Medicaid programs managing these specialized care services.
The RNs for Rural Health Act of 2025 expands Medicare coverage to allow rural health clinics to bill for "personalized prevention plan services" when provided directly by licensed registered nurses (RNs). This change specifically affects rural health clinics and their patients in underserved areas, enabling RNs to deliver these services without requiring physician supervision for billing purposes. The bill amends Medicare law to include RNs as eligible providers for these specific preventive services, treating them the same as physician-provided services under existing coverage rules. The policy change applies to services furnished on or after the bill's enactment date.
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2025 This bill deems an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital as an inpatient for purposes of satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital-stay requirement with respect to Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. (Generally, individuals must have been an inpatient at a hospital for at least three days in order to qualify for SNF services. An individual's time spent under observation at a hospital for purposes of determining whether the individual should be admitted does not count towards this requirement.)
The America First Act would restrict eligibility for numerous federal benefit programs based on immigration status. It requires verification of citizenship or lawful immigration status for programs including Medicaid, Medicare, Head Start, school meals, WIC, the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and housing assistance. The bill specifically would deny benefits to individuals who are unlawfully present in the U.S. or who have certain immigration statuses including parolees, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, DACA recipients, and asylum seekers. These provisions would directly affect millions of immigrants and their families who currently qualify for these programs. The bill would also prohibit use of FEMA assistance for certain non-citizens and limit access to postsecondary financial aid based on immigration status.
The Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act of 2025 would require Medicare to cover and pay for telehealth visits conducted over the phone (audio-only), not requiring video, during the emergency period defined in the Social Security Act. This change would directly affect Medicare beneficiaries - particularly older adults or those in rural areas with limited internet access - and healthcare providers who offer telehealth services. The bill amends Section 1834(m)(9) of the Social Security Act to include audio-only visits under existing Medicare coverage rules, ensuring providers receive reimbursement at the same rate as video telehealth. It expands access to care by removing the need for video technology during the specified emergency period.
The Choose Medicare Act would establish a new Medicare Part E public health plan available across individual, small group, and large group insurance markets. This plan would provide comprehensive coverage including all essential health benefits, gold-level coverage, and reproductive services, with premiums negotiated to be at least as favorable as current Medicare rates. The bill would create a $6,700 annual out-of-pocket spending limit for Medicare beneficiaries starting in 2027, require employers to refer employees without adequate coverage to navigators, and change premium assistance credits to use gold-level plans as the benchmark. It would also establish a $2 billion startup fund for the program and expand reduced cost-sharing for lower-income individuals.
This bill establishes a Medicare demonstration program to pay hospitals for training staff (called "facilitators") who help Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure find living kidney donors and navigate the transplant process. It directly affects hospitals performing kidney transplants and Medicare patients with end-stage renal disease. The program runs for 8 years, with Medicare covering hospitals' costs for facilitator training, and requires annual reports tracking increases in living donors, transplants, and potential cost savings from reduced dialysis use. The Secretary must submit detailed reports to Congress on outcomes and program effectiveness.
This bill establishes a new payment system for skin substitute products (materials applied to wounds that remain within the wound bed) under Medicare, setting specific payment amounts and annual updates based on inflation. It requires the creation of a new billing code for these products by January 2026, ensures equal reimbursement regardless of where treatment occurs, and creates oversight for providers with unusually high payments. The bill also directs the FDA to review and potentially streamline approval processes for human tissue-based regenerative medicine products. These changes aim to improve access to advanced wound care while maintaining proper oversight of Medicare payments.
