Congress Pushes Medicare Modernization with Two Bipartisan Bills

In 2026 members of the U.S. House introduced two bipartisan bills to update Medicare reimbursement.

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• The Reimbursing Emergency Services for Critical Urgent Encounters (RESCUE) Act would require CMS to revise the ambulance fee schedule every three years using current cost data, with the first updated rates to take effect in 2028.

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• The Medicare At Home Act would add a capped home-care benefit to Medicare Part B, covering personal-care services such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and light housekeeping for up to 20 hours per week.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

Both bills have been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

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Medicare’s ambulance reimbursement rates have not been substantially updated since 2002 and still rely on cost data collected in 1998, creating a gap between payments and actual expenses for many rural EMS agencies.

NewsweekLawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

Medicare Part B currently covers physician visits and medical supplies but does not include comprehensive personal-care services for seniors or people with disabilities, leaving families to rely on unpaid caregiving.

New bill would require Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX-11) – primary sponsor of the RESCUE Act.

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• Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA), Rep. John Joyce (R-OH), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) – co-sponsors of the RESCUE Act.

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• Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) – primary sponsor of the Medicare At Home Act.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

• Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) – co-sponsor of the Medicare At Home Act.

New bill would require Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• A 2024 RAND report for CMS found ambulance agencies receive more than $1,500 less per transport than their actual costs on average.

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• The Medicare At Home Act cites that 93 % of adults support expanding Medicare to cover home-care services.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

• Unpaid family caregivers provide $1 trillion in care to the U.S. economy each year.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

• Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, described the RESCUE Act as a solution to a “cost-of-living issue” for EMS services, noting that inflation-adjusted updates every three years would align payments with current expenses.

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• Rep. Dingell said the Medicare At Home Act would give families “peace of mind” by ensuring essential in-home support is affordable and accessible.

New bill would require Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• Sen. Kim framed the legislation as a personal priority, citing his own family’s experience with the need for dignified home care.

New bill would require Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• “Whether seniors are aging at home or individuals with disabilities need daily support, care should be accessible and affordable,” — Rep. Debbie Dingell

New bill would require Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• “That means adequate reimbursement, reasonable administrative requirements, clear eligibility rules, and recognition of the workforce challenges providers are already facing,” — Jason Lee, CEO of the Home Care Association of America

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Add Home Care Benefit To Medicare

Both proposals must clear their respective committees before reaching the House floor. If enacted, the RESCUE Act would begin updating ambulance rates in 2028, while the Medicare At Home Act would require HHS to issue implementing regulations within one year and apply the benefit after a two-year lead-in period.

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