Maddy summaryThe Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act of 2023 reauthorizes $400 million annually for 2024-2027 to support nursing home worker training and retention through wage subsidies, tuition assistance, child care support, and transportation assistance for eligible workers. It also provides $8 million annually for adult protective services and $125 million annually for medical-legal partnerships that integrate legal services with health care for older adults. Additionally, the bill allocates $62.5 million annually to address social isolation among seniors through community-based interventions. These provisions aim to strengthen the elder care workforce, improve protections for vulnerable seniors, and enhance coordination between health, human services, and legal systems.
Rep. Linda T. Sánchez
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill, HR 2692 (the Addressing SILO Act of 2023), provides $62.5 million annually (2024-2027) to fund community programs aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness among older adults and adults with disabilities. It directs grants to area agencies on aging and community-based organizations to conduct outreach, develop evidence-based interventions, connect at-risk individuals with support services, and evaluate program effectiveness. The bill requires the Secretary to submit annual reports assessing program impact and mandates coordination with existing Older Americans Act programs. It directly affects eligible community organizations and the older adults/disabled adults they serve, focusing on practical, community-level solutions rather than broad policy changes.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare and social service workers. It requires employers in covered facilities - including hospitals, nursing homes, mental health clinics, and social service settings - to develop and implement comprehensive prevention plans with specific requirements. These plans must include risk assessments, hazard prevention measures, employee training on violence prevention, and procedures for reporting and investigating violent incidents. The bill also amends Medicare regulations to require compliance with these standards for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities receiving Medicare funds.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for registered nurses in hospital units (such as 1:1 in trauma units, 2:1 in critical care units, and 3:1 in emergency rooms), requiring hospitals to develop and maintain staffing plans that meet these standards. It mandates transparency in documenting staffing levels, ensures hospitals verify nurses' competence for specific units, and enforces compliance through Medicare and Medicaid programs with penalties for violations. The bill protects nurses who refuse unsafe assignments due to staffing concerns and includes initiatives to improve nurse retention and address staffing shortages. It directly affects hospitals, nurses, and patients by aiming to improve patient safety and care quality through standardized staffing requirements. The bill applies to all hospitals, with extended implementation timelines for rural facilities.
Maddy summaryHR 2474, the "Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act," changes how Medicare pays physicians for services. It replaces the previous two-part payment system (used through 2025) with a single annual payment rate update starting in 2024. This update will be based on the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), which tracks costs for medical providers. The change directly affects Medicare-certified doctors and clinics who receive payments under the physician fee schedule.
Maddy summaryThis bill would require Medicare to cover FDA-approved blood tests that screen for multiple cancers simultaneously (like breast, lung, or colorectal cancer) for beneficiaries. It directly affects Medicare recipients aged 65+ who could access these new screenings once per year, without prior authorization. The key provision adds "multi-cancer early detection screening tests" to Medicare's covered services under Part B, defining them as blood tests analyzing cell-free DNA, while maintaining existing coverage for standard screenings like mammograms. The bill does not change current coverage for individual cancer screenings but ensures Medicare keeps pace with new medical technology.
Maddy summaryHR 1692, the Health Care Affordability Act of 2023, adjusts how health insurance subsidies are calculated for people buying coverage through the marketplace. It replaces the previous subsidy formula with a sliding scale based on income, where households earning up to 150% of the poverty line pay 0% of premiums, and those at 400% or more pay 8.5%. The change applies to all income tiers between these points, with percentages increasing incrementally (e.g., 2% for 150-200% income). This directly affects individuals purchasing health insurance through the marketplace who qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The bill amends Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code and takes effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022.
Maddy summaryHR 1610 would modernize Medicare coverage for chiropractic care by removing the current restriction that limited beneficiaries to one chiropractic service per visit. It expands coverage to include all services provided by licensed chiropractors within their state-authorized scope, aligning Medicare with VA, military, and private insurance practices. The bill requires chiropractors to complete a Secretary-approved educational webinar to cover non-spinal services, while still allowing payment for spinal manipulation treatments without this requirement. This directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking chiropractic care and chiropractors seeking Medicare reimbursement for their services.
Maddy summaryHR 1446, the Foster Youth and Driving Act, requires states to provide driving and transportation assistance to foster youth who have been in foster care at age 14 or older, as well as former foster youth up to age 26 who are enrolled in education or employment programs. The bill mandates that foster care case plans include provisions for preparing youth to drive, such as practice driving hours, license assistance, and insurance help. States must offer assistance covering costs like driver's education, license fees, insurance, and vehicle-related expenses (up to $4,000 annually), while preventing duplication with other benefit programs. The law also requires states to streamline license processes for minors and coordinate with other transition programs, with annual reports to Congress on program effectiveness.
Maddy summaryThe Stop the Wait Act of 2023 eliminates the current 5-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits by phasing it out: applications filed in 2023-2025 would face a 3-month wait, 2026 a 2-month wait, and 2027 a 1-month wait, with full elimination by January 2028. It also changes Medicare rules to allow individuals without minimum essential health coverage to receive Medicare benefits retroactively from the first month of SSDI eligibility, rather than waiting 24 months. This directly affects people under 65 applying for SSDI who lack other health insurance, ensuring they have coverage during the waiting period. The bill amends the Social Security Act to implement these changes, effective January 1, 2028.