Hospital at home extension bill introduced

A bill was introduced July 10 to extend certain Medicare waivers authorizing the hospital-at-home care program. The bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., and Dwight Evans D-Pa., and in the Senate by Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

The AHA supports the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act to extend the H@H waiver for five years. Without the extension, the waivers will expire Sept. 30, 2025. An AHA fact sheet explains the issue and states, "A long-term extension will not only provide additional time to continue gathering data on quality improvement, cost savings, and patient experience, but will also provide much needed stability for new programs and may ease state concerns about updating Medicaid policies to allow for coverage of these services."