Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026

Medicare Observation Stays. The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R. 3954/S. 4641): Proposals to count time spent in observation status toward the three-day prior inpatient stay required under Medicare for coverage of a subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare Drug Costs. The Pharmaceutical Research Transparency Act (No bill): Proposal to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Security Exchange Act to require pharmaceutical manufacturers to report their costs related to clinical trials and research and development. Medicare Prescription Drugs. Drug Costs. Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169): Law to allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers, cap prices at inflation in Part B and D, cap beneficiary out-of-pocket costs in Part D, eliminate cost-sharing for vaccines, eliminate cost-sharing in the catastrophic phase of Part D, and to raise the income threshold for the Low-Income Subsidy program offering assistance in paying for drugs. Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): A regulatory proposal encouraging the Secretaries of the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Commerce to exercise march in rights that would aim to better control the pricing of prescription drugs. Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): An HHS regulatory proposal to ensure robust negotiation rules and processes that aim to curtail the cost of certain prescription drugs, as authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169). Medicare and Medicaid Prescription Drugs. (No bill): Joined comments with 19 other organizations urging HHS to use its existing authority to license competition in order to lower consumer and taxpayer costs for semaglutide drugs treating diabetes and weight management (e.g., Ozempic and Wegovy). Medicare Savings Program and Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Programs. (No bill): Proposals to make enrollment of dually eligible individuals in the Medicare Savings Programs (MSP) and the LIS program easier, so that low-income beneficiaries can more readily access financial assistance for Medicare copayments, premiums and deductibles, and to be able to access needed medications at prices they can afford. Medicare Reform. The Assuring Medicares Promise Act (H.R. 609): Proposals to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying net investment income tax (NIIT) and directing the revenue to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals, and to the Social Security Trust Funds. Medicare Dental, Hearing and Vision Coverage. Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 (H.R. 2045): Proposal to add dental, vision and hearing benefits to Medicare. Medicare Hearing Coverage: The Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2025 (H.R. 500): Proposals to add hearing benefits to Medicare. Medicare Advantage (MA). (No bill): Proposals to create transparency around Medicare Advantage plans using prior authorization and supplemental benefits that are not offered under traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage. (No bill): Proposals to apply a higher coding adjustment factor to fully account for intensive upcoding by MA plans and to exclude certain information for MA risk adjustment scores and payments; to use two years of traditional Medicare and MA diagnostic data for calculating MA risk-adjusted payments; and to promulgate more fundamental changes to the Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk adjustment model. Medicare Advantage. (H.R. 3467) Proposal to make Medicare Advantage plans the default choice during initial enrollment periods. Medicare Privatization (No bill): Proposals to create policies in traditional Medicare that mimic those used by private health insurance plans. Medicaid. The HCBS Access Act (H.R. 8540/S. 5321): Proposals to expand Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) by elevating them to a mandatory entitlement. H.R. 8540 would reduce waitlists and guarantee seniors and individuals with disabilities a choice between home care and institutional care. Would also establish new grant programs and a technical assistance center to improve the wages, benefits, and training pathways for the direct care workforce. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers (ABC) Act (H.R. 2491 and S. 1227): Proposals would require HHS and SSA to review application processes, procedures, forms, and communications for Medicare, Medicaid, Childrens Health Insurance Program, and Social Security programs in order to reduce administrative barriers facing family caregivers. The bill requires agencies to identify and report to Congress on actions that can be taken to streamline eligibility and assistance for family caregivers within existing programs. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Protecting Americas Seniors Access to Care Act (H.R. 1303): Proposal to prohibit the HHS Secretary from promulgating national staffing standards in nursing homes. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act (S. 3886): Proposal aims to establish federal minimum staffing standards, specifically requiring 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of total nursing care and 24/7 on-site Registered Nurse (RN) coverage. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing homes. The Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act (H.R. 8100): Proposals to establish a minimum of 4.1 hours of direct nursing home care per resident per day, and a Registered Nurse on duty on-site 24/7. Adds penalties for facilities failing to meet required minimums. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Building Americas Health Care Workforce Act (No bill): Proposal to allow time spent working in a nursing home (prior to any formal training, and permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic) to count toward a 75-hour minimum federal training standard that is required for certified nursing assistants. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Ensuring Seniors Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 7096): Proposal to repeal regulations that prohibit certified nursing assistant training and competency evaluation programs in skilled nursing facilities that have a record of health and safety deficiencies and have incurred penalties (e.g., civil monetary penalties for substandard quality of care). Medicare Treatment for Osteoporosis (No bill): Support for making payment revisions to the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule that would accelerate treatment improvements for beneficiaries with osteoporosis and help prevent repeat fractures. Medicare and Medicaid Waste, Fraud and Abuse (No bill): Submitted comments with other organizations to a CMS Request for Information (RFI) Related to Comprehensive Regulations To Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH), 91 Fed. Reg. 9803 (February 27, 2026) CMS-6098-NC. Medicaid Work Requirements Affecting Eligibility (No bill): Submitted comments with other organizations to request CMS to clarify in regulations that people with disabilities, older adults, and caregivers are exempt from the Medicaid working requirements in P.L. 119-21. Health Insurance. Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act (H.R. 6455). Proposal to close loophole that penalizes couples with one spouse in Medicare and one receiving health care through Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, by allowing for subtraction of Medicare premiums from the maximum premium paid for a marketplace plan. Health Insurance. (H.R. 1834). Proposals to extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits for ACA marketplace health insurance plans. Health Insurance. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act (H.R. 6703) Proposals to weakening consumer protections and destabilizing markets by allowing skimpier, less‑regulated plans that can cherry‑pick healthier groups and leave higher‑cost enrollees in the ACA‑regulated small‑group and individual markets with higher premiums. Medicaid and Health Insurance. Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act (S. 2556, H.R. 4849): Proposals to restore massive funding cuts to Medicaid that were included in the 2025 budget reconciliation law, and to make permanent ACA enhanced premium tax credits. Medicare. The Medicare Cost Cap Act (S. 4886): Proposals to add a $5,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket costs for traditional Medicare (Part A and Part B) beneficiaries. Would require Medicare to pay 100 percent of covered health care costs once the $5,000 cap is reached. Prescription Drugs. The Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act (H.R. 10094): Proposals that would lower prices or shorten exclusivity periods when revenues exceed targets, which exceed a standard of cost per health benefit achieved, and constitute significant barriers to access or fiscal burdens on patients.

Client expense: $190,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

Care Across Generations Act (H.R. 1812) Seeking additional support for funding of multigenerational programs in Long-Term Care. Protecting Rural Seniors' Access to Care Act (S. 750/H.R. 1683) - Establishing an advisory panel to support the nursing home workforce. Train More Nurses Act (S. 547/H.R. 2151) - Requiring the Secretary of HHS and Secretary of Labor to conduct a study and issue a report on grant programs to support the nursing workforce. One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) - Medicaid reductions impact on Senior Care. The Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act (S. 2879/H.R. 5454) Entire Legislation. Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act (S. 1816/H.R. 3514) - transparency requirements for MA plans. General discussions on legislative proposals related to tariffs. Health Tech Investment Act (H.R. 6197) - technology investment in senior care communities (USHR). Protecting Medicare Choice Act (H.R. 6114) - automatic enrollment prohibition for beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage Plans (USHR). Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act (S. 2699) - training and workforce support for caregivers (USS). Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026 (H.R. 8375/S. 4384) - prior authorization normalization and prompt pay. Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R. 3954/S. 4641) - 3 day stay requirement updates.

Client expense: $170,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Issues pertaining to physician payment and patient access to hospital care in PL 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; various Presidential executive orders affecting health care providers; S. 1640/HR 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act; S. 1816/HR 3514, the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act; S. 4641/HR 3954, the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act; HR 538, the Critical Access Hospitals Relief Act of 2025; provisions in CMS-1832-F, the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule; health policy extensions in PL 119-75, FY2026 Consolidated Defense, LHHSED, Nat. Sec.-State, THUD, FSGG Approps. Act; HR 9693, Patients First Act of 2026

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $40,000

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE