Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester

Maddy summaryThis bill prevents Medicare from imposing stricter supervision requirements for outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy than those established by state law, requiring Medicare to follow existing state regulations instead. It takes effect January 1, 2024, directly affecting Medicare-covered therapy services in all states. Additionally, it mandates a Government Accountability Office study by December 2024 to analyze how Medicare’s 15% payment differential for therapy assistants impacts access to care in rural and underserved areas. The study will examine this payment policy across all Medicare Part B settings.

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 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 mandates an interagency review by the Department of Health and Human Services (with Defense and Veterans Affairs) to address lung cancer disparities affecting women. It requires a report evaluating research gaps, improving access to lung cancer screening (especially for underserved groups), and developing public awareness campaigns about early detection. The review will focus on factors like environmental exposures, genomic differences, and treatment responses specific to women, particularly those who never smoked. The report must be submitted to Congress within one year of enactment. This directly affects women at risk of lung cancer, including those with non-smoking-related cases.

Maddy summaryThe PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2023 requires private health insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health programs to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention without cost-sharing, including the medication, related lab tests, and follow-up care. The bill also prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people taking PrEP. It establishes public education campaigns to increase awareness of PrEP and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and creates funding for state and community programs to expand access to HIV prevention services, particularly for populations disproportionately affected by HIV including Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and transgender individuals. The legislation specifically addresses current disparities in PrEP access, as data shows only 11% of Black/African American and 21% of Hispanic/Latinx individuals eligible for PrEP received prescriptions in 2022 compared to 82% of White individuals. Coverage requirements for most plans will take effect on January 1, 2025.

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 summaryHR 3875, the Expanded Telehealth Access Act, expands Medicare coverage for telehealth services by adding new healthcare professionals to the list of providers eligible for payment. It specifically includes licensed audiologists, occupational therapists (and their assistants under supervision), physical therapists (and their assistants under supervision), and speech-language pathologists. The bill ensures these providers are paid the same rate for telehealth services as they would be for in-person care under Medicare. This change directly affects Medicare beneficiaries seeking remote therapy services and the new provider types who can now offer these services via telehealth.

Maddy summaryHR 3851, the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act of 2023, requires most health insurance plans (including group and individual coverage) to cover diagnostic and supplemental breast exams without any out-of-pocket costs like copays or deductibles. This applies to medically necessary exams used to evaluate abnormalities detected during screening (diagnostic) or to screen high-risk individuals without abnormalities (supplemental), following National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. Plans may still require prior authorization for these exams, and state laws providing stronger protections remain in effect. The law takes effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2024.