Rep. Jimmy Panetta

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to maintain accurate, publicly accessible provider directories containing essential details like provider names, specialties, contact information, and accessibility features. MA organizations must verify directory accuracy quarterly (or annually for hospitals), remove outdated providers within 5 business days, and clearly flag outdated information. If a beneficiary relies on an incorrect directory listing for a non-participating provider, the MA plan must cover the same cost-sharing as if the provider were in-network. These requirements apply to all network-based MA plans starting in 2026, with annual accuracy reports and public score disclosures beginning in 2027.

Maddy summaryHR 7292, the Health ACCESS Act, amends the Social Security Act to establish new rules for healthcare information platforms (like online provider directories). It prohibits these platforms from steering patients toward specific providers based on payment, making medical claims, sharing patient contact details without consent, arranging transportation, or sending unsolicited marketing. The bill requires platforms to disclose financial arrangements with providers, base provider information on objective criteria, and set compensation terms in advance that don't exceed fair market value or tie to services paid by federal health programs. This directly affects healthcare information service providers and the providers/suppliers using their platforms.

Maddy summaryThe 401Kids Savings Account Act of 2024 establishes automatic savings accounts for every U.S. citizen under age 18, created at birth or naturalization (or when the program starts). These accounts receive annual government deposits of $500 (or $750 for families eligible for the Earned Income Credit) and up to $250 in matching contributions for EIC-eligible families. After age 18, account holders can use funds for education, first-time home purchases, or roll over balances into ABLE accounts or Roth IRAs. The accounts are designed to be disregarded for means-tested benefits like SSI and Medicaid, though balances exceeding $100,000 will count toward eligibility.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 6860, protects patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD) who require dialysis by preventing health insurance plans from discriminating against them. It amends Medicare rules to prohibit plans from treating dialysis coverage differently than other medical services based on a patient’s ESRD diagnosis, need for dialysis, or any other factor. The bill clarifies that plans can still choose which dialysis providers to include in their networks but cannot deny or limit coverage for dialysis services solely because of the patient’s condition. It ensures Medicare remains the secondary payer for these services as intended, without forcing plans to cover specific providers.

Maddy summaryHR 6780 establishes a 4-year Medicare demonstration program testing whether hospitals providing medically tailored home-delivered meals to specific patients improves health outcomes and reduces hospital readmissions. The program targets Medicare beneficiaries with diet-sensitive chronic conditions (like diabetes or heart failure) who are at high risk of readmission and meet specific discharge criteria, such as limited daily living activities. Selected hospitals must screen patients, provide at least two tailored meals daily for 12 weeks, and offer medical nutrition therapy, all without patient cost-sharing. The program requires hospitals to submit data for evaluation, with the goal of assessing impacts on hospital admissions, care costs, and patient satisfaction before reporting to Congress in 2027 and 2030.

Maddy summaryThe Preserving Seniors’ Access to Physicians Act of 2023 increases the Medicare payment adjustment rate for physicians from 1.25% to 4.62%, directly affecting doctors who treat Medicare patients (primarily seniors). It also reduces the funding for the Medicaid improvement fund from $5,796,117,810 to $3,973,117,810. These changes impact Medicare providers and Medicaid programs, with the Medicare adjustment aimed at supporting physicians adjusting to payment changes. The bill does not specify how the Medicaid funding reduction relates to its stated goal of preserving seniors' access to physicians.

Maddy summaryThe Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act removes a rule requiring disabled adult children to remain unmarried to receive Social Security benefits. It ensures married disabled adult children, or their spouses, can maintain eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicaid without losing benefits due to marriage. The bill changes how income and resources are counted, so a spouse's income and resources are no longer deemed against the disabled adult child for benefit calculations. It also requires states to preserve Medicaid eligibility for these individuals at the same level as if they were unmarried.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the "competitive need limitation" for duty-free imports from beneficiary developing countries under the Trade Act of 1974. It increases the annual cap for eligible imports from $75 million to $600 million and changes how the limit is calculated to count only duty-free entries during a calendar year. The President must restore duty-free treatment for most eligible articles within 120 days of the bill's enactment, with a one-year review period for sensitive products requiring continued withholding. The bill also requires a report to Congress within one year detailing restored and withheld duty-free treatments. This directly affects importers of goods from designated developing countries eligible for trade benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Medicare Part B late enrollment penalties to better accommodate people with temporary coverage gaps. It increases the penalty rate from 10% to 15% of the monthly premium but limits the penalty period to twice the months without coverage (instead of 12-month increments). It also excludes months with COBRA, retiree, or VA health coverage from penalty calculations and creates a special enrollment period when such coverage ends. These changes directly affect Medicare Part B enrollees who lost employer or retiree coverage, reducing their potential extra fees for late enrollment.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits health insurance plans from charging healthcare providers fees for electronic payments (EFTs) and payment advice transactions. It directly affects doctors, hospitals, and clinics that receive electronic payments from health plans by banning any charges, including withholdings, for these transactions. The law, effective January 1, 2024, amends the Social Security Act to require health plans to cover these costs themselves, eliminating fees for providers.