Rep. Dean Phillips

Maddy summaryThis bill creates an exemption for Medicare Advantage plan physicians who had at least 90% of their prior authorization requests approved for specific services in the previous year. These doctors would be exempt from needing pre-approval for those same services in subsequent plan years, reducing administrative delays for patients. The exemption continues until revoked (based on updated approval rates) or the physician opts out. It also requires plans to allow providers to discuss treatment plans with a qualifying physician during the authorization process.

Maddy summaryThe 9-8-8 Implementation Act of 2023 establishes a national mental health crisis response system centered around the 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline. It provides $441 million for call center technology, staffing, and operations, and requires Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans to cover crisis response services including mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization facilities. The bill also mandates a national suicide prevention media campaign and creates protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers to better respond to mental health crises. These provisions aim to improve access to mental health crisis care across the United States.

Maddy summaryThe Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2023 expands the National Health Service Corps to include physical therapists in its loan repayment program and creates designated "physical therapy health professional target areas" for their assignment in underserved communities. It also amends Medicare to cover physical therapy services provided by physical therapists at Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers, effective January 1, 2025. This directly affects physical therapists by offering new career pathways in underserved areas and patients in those communities by increasing access to physical therapy services for conditions like pain management and rehabilitation. The bill does not alter existing eligibility requirements for physical therapists but formally integrates their services into key federal healthcare programs.

Maddy summaryThe Social Security 2100 Act would significantly enhance Social Security benefits for millions of Americans by increasing monthly payments for retirees, disabled workers, widows/widowers, and children. Key provisions include raising the minimum benefit for long-term low earners, improving cost-of-living adjustments using a more accurate index, eliminating the 5-month waiting period for disability benefits, and extending child benefits to age 26. The bill also changes how Social Security taxes are calculated by applying them to income above $400,000 and establishes a unified Social Security Trust Fund to manage program finances. Most provisions would apply to benefits payable from 2025 through 2034, affecting all current and future Social Security beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Medicare coverage to include home infusion treatment for people with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Disorder, a genetic condition causing lung and liver damage. It specifically covers "augmentation therapy" (a standard treatment using Alpha-1 Proteinase Inhibitor) when administered in a patient's home by qualified providers. Medicare will pay 80% of the cost for intravenous kits and up to 2 hours of nursing care during these home infusions, starting January 1, 2025. The change directly affects Medicare beneficiaries with this condition who require home-based treatment and their qualified home infusion providers.

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 Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act (HR 4363) establishes new Medicare and Medicaid coverage for cancer care planning and coordination services, requiring personalized survivorship care plans for cancer survivors from diagnosis through the end of life. The bill creates a demonstration program to test different models of survivorship care, including navigation services to help survivors transition from cancer treatment to ongoing care, and mandates Medicaid coverage for cancer fertility services. It also establishes a comprehensive cancer survivorship program with resource centers for survivors and health care providers, and includes provisions to help cancer survivors overcome employment barriers and improve their quality of life through physical activity and mental health support. The legislation specifically addresses disparities in care for racial/ethnic minorities, lower socioeconomic groups, and rural populations who face unique challenges as cancer survivors.

Maddy summaryThe ARC Act of 2023 establishes a national program to address peripheral artery disease (PAD), which disproportionately affects minority populations and leads to avoidable amputations. The bill requires Medicare and Medicaid to cover PAD screening tests (such as ankle-brachial index testing) for at-risk beneficiaries without cost-sharing, including people 65+ or those with diabetes, smoking history, or other risk factors. It authorizes $6 million annually for a CDC-led education program to inform healthcare providers and the public about PAD prevention and treatment. The bill also creates quality measures to encourage alternative treatments to amputation and establishes a pilot program to test amputation prevention services at healthcare facilities. These provisions aim to reduce amputation rates and improve outcomes for millions of Americans with PAD.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2023, amends Social Security to better protect public servants who work in jobs not covered by Social Security (such as certain government positions). It creates a new formula for calculating retirement benefits that combines both covered and noncovered earnings, ensuring public servants receive the higher of two benefit calculations. The bill also provides an additional $150 monthly payment for certain public servants whose benefits were previously reduced by the windfall elimination provision. It improves Social Security account statements to clearly show noncovered earnings and requires a study of how state retirement plans handle these benefits. These changes will apply to benefits starting in 2025.

Maddy summaryThe LIFT the BAR Act removes barriers preventing lawfully present noncitizens from accessing federal benefits like food assistance, Medicaid, and school meals. It repeals specific 1996 welfare law provisions that excluded noncitizens and updates terminology to replace "alien" with "noncitizen" throughout federal law. The bill expands eligibility to include noncitizens in categories such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, individuals with special immigrant juvenile status, and those with pending U-visa applications. This change ensures more noncitizens lawfully present in the U.S. can access essential services without being denied based on immigration status.