Rep. Don Bacon

Maddy summaryThis bill extends Medicare payment adjustments for physicians and other practitioners through 2025 instead of ending in 2024. It specifically adds a 4.73% payment increase for services provided between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026. The legislation modifies existing Medicare payment rules to stabilize practice revenues during transition periods. It directly affects doctors and healthcare providers who bill Medicare for patient services. The key change is the extended timeframe and the defined 4.73% rate for the 2025-2026 period.

Maddy summaryHR 9778, the PAVE Act, requires Medicare to include penicillin allergy verification during routine preventive exams and annual wellness visits for seniors aged 65 and older. The bill mandates identifying patients with self-reported penicillin allergies, assessing whether their history indicates a true allergy, explaining the health risks of a false label, and referring to specialists when needed. This applies to Medicare-covered visits starting January 1, 2025, directly affecting seniors with penicillin allergy labels in their medical records. The goal is to correct false allergies - supported by evidence showing over 90% of such labels are inaccurate - improving treatment options and reducing unnecessary healthcare costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the import of eight specific minerals (including copper, nickel, palladium, and platinum) from Russia or Russian entities starting 90 days after enactment. It directly affects U.S. importers and businesses relying on these Russian-sourced minerals. The ban ends one year after the President certifies Russia has ceased hostilities against Ukraine, but resumes immediately if Russia restarts military action, with no presidential waivers allowed. The law remains in effect until a new certification confirms Russia's cessation of hostilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires states to provide foster youth aged 14 and older with essential documents annually - such as credit reports, birth certificates, health records, and foster care verification - without cost, along with clear explanations of their rights and available services. It expands the Chafee Foster Care program to support youth transitioning from foster care through age 23, focusing on education, housing, health, job training, and life skills, while mandating that states consult directly with youth in planning these services. States must track participation and outcomes, including how many youth receive required documents and achieve key milestones like housing stability or educational goals. The bill directly affects foster youth and state child welfare agencies, aiming to improve their independence and well-being during critical transition years.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 7-year demonstration program testing preferential treatment for U.S.-manufactured drugs in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP programs. It directs the Secretary to implement the program in at least 8 states, using tools like formulary preference or lower patient cost-sharing for drugs made by qualifying U.S. pharmaceutical companies. To qualify, drugs must be manufactured in the U.S. by companies meeting specific transparency, supply chain diversity, and inventory standards, including critical drugs identified in executive orders or deemed high-risk for shortages. The program aims to assess how U.S. manufacturing preferences affect drug access and costs within federal health programs. The Secretary must submit annual reports to Congress on program results and recommendations.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a $10,000 annual tax credit for individuals who make non-directed living kidney donations (where donors don’t know the recipient’s identity) for five years (the donation year plus four subsequent years). It directly affects living kidney donors who qualify under these specific conditions, covering costs related to the donation process. The credit applies to kidneys removed after December 31, 2024, and expires December 31, 2034. The bill does not alter organ transplant recipient eligibility or medical procedures, focusing solely on financial incentives for donors.

Maddy summaryHR 9125, the Patient Access to LTCH Care Act, adjusts Medicare payments for long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) treating patients with complex medical conditions. It increases payment rates by 5% or 10% for LTCHs based on the number of major complications or comorbidities a patient has, with specific thresholds tied to Medicare coding. The bill also sets annual caps on payment increases ($50,000 for 2025-2026, 110% of prior year for later years) and creates exceptions to ensure patients with severe wounds, specific diagnoses (like septicemia or pulmonary issues), or post-COVID care receive appropriate coverage. This directly affects LTCHs and Medicare beneficiaries with high-acuity conditions requiring specialized care.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Social Security Act to include peer-to-peer mentoring services in key child welfare programs. It requires family preservation, support, reunification, and adoption services to incorporate mentoring by individuals with direct lived experience as caregivers, foster parents, or birth parents who navigated similar family crises. The policy change allows states to use existing federal funds for these peer mentoring services, which directly support caregivers at risk, foster parents, and birth parents working toward family reunification. The amendments apply to programs under Title IV of the Social Security Act, effective for fiscal years after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Medicare payment model for emergency medical services (EMS) that allows coverage when ambulance providers deliver critical care on-site without transporting patients to a hospital. It directly affects Medicare beneficiaries receiving such on-site emergency care and ambulance providers who would previously not be reimbursed for non-transport services. The key provision requires Medicare to pay for these services at rates matching what would have been paid for transport, based on state protocols and emergency call responses, for a 5-year trial period. A report due 4 years after implementation will evaluate impacts on patient outcomes, system efficiency, and regional access.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic prior authorization systems by 2027 and publish detailed data on their approval and denial rates for medical services by 2026. It directly affects Medicare Advantage plans (private insurers offering Medicare coverage) and their enrollees (seniors 65+), mandating transparency about prior authorization decisions, processing times, and appeal outcomes. Key provisions include requiring plans to report annual statistics on request approvals/denials, average processing times, and use of technology, with this data published publicly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The bill also sets timelines for plan responses to prior authorization requests and mandates reports to Congress on implementation and impacts.