Medicare hospice bill freezes new providers and overhauls payment rules
In committeeH.R. 7966Latest action
Sponsor: Linda T. Sánchez · Representative · CA
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: Hospice CARE Act of 2026
119th Congress
Topics: Health care
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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HR 7966 freezes new Medicare hospice enrollments for 5 years and shifts payments from flat daily rates to per-visit charges.
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What does this do?
HR 7966 imposes a five-year freeze on new hospice companies joining Medicare, with exceptions for underserved areas, and requires all existing hospice programs to re-verify their enrollment information. The bill also restructures Medicare hospice payments, moving away from a flat daily rate toward a system that pays per visit for direct care such as nursing or therapy. Starting in 2028, hospice companies must give Medicare 90 days advance notice before changing ownership.
Who does it affect?
Medicare patients nearing the end of life and their families are directly affected, as are hospice companies and the doctors and nurses who work in hospice care. Doctors with financial ties to a hospice company will no longer be permitted to certify that a patient is terminally ill.
Why does it matter?
The payment restructuring and enrollment freeze alter the financial and regulatory conditions under which hospice providers operate within Medicare. Patients who enroll in hospice will receive written notice of their benefits and fraud-reporting contacts, and inspections of newer or suspicious programs will become more frequent.
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedMar 17, 2026
- House committeeYou are here · Mar 17, 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 Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.