Medicare wig coverage bill advances with doctor sign-off requirement
In committeeH.R. 7546Latest action
Sponsor: James P. McGovern · Representative · MA
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for wigs as durable medical equipment under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.
119th Congress
Topics: Health care
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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HR 7546 would add Medicare coverage for medically necessary wigs when prescribed by a dermatologist, oncologist, or primary doctor.
55-second read · 5 questions answered below
What does this do?
HR 7546 would require Medicare to cover wigs, which the bill calls "cranial prostheses," as a form of medical equipment. Coverage would only apply when a dermatologist, oncologist, or primary physician provides a written statement certifying medical necessity. Qualifying conditions include cancer, chemotherapy-related hair loss, and autoimmune diseases such as alopecia.
Who does it affect?
The bill would affect Medicare beneficiaries, primarily Americans aged 65 and older, as well as younger people enrolled in Medicare due to disability. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and people with autoimmune conditions that cause hair loss would be among those most directly affected.
Why does it matter?
Without this bill, Medicare beneficiaries who lose hair due to medical conditions must pay for wigs entirely out of pocket, at costs that can reach hundreds to thousands of dollars. The bill is currently under review by two House committees and has not yet advanced further.
What does it cost, and who pays?
- Currently fully out of pocket for patients
- Hundreds to thousands of dollars per wig
- Medicare would pay when doctor certifies need
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedFeb 12, 2026
- House committeeYou are here · Feb 12, 2026
- House vote
- Senate
- The president's desk
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.