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S. 249119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Jan 24, 2025Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: Access to Pediatric Technologies Act of 2025
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, S 249 would require Medicare to create official payment rates for qualifying pediatric medical devices upon manufacturer request.
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S 249 would require Medicare to establish official payment rates for FDA-approved pediatric medical devices when a manufacturer formally requests one, beginning January 1, 2026. The process would follow Medicare's standard annual rulemaking schedule, with a May 1 deadline each year determining whether a device's rate is set that year or the next. To qualify, a device must be FDA-approved, covered by Medicare, currently carrying a temporary billing code for new technologies, and either used mostly in procedures on children or specifically designed for pediatric patients.
Children who qualify for Medicare and the doctors who treat them with specialized pediatric devices are most directly affected. Medical device manufacturers with FDA-approved pediatric products also gain a formal process to request Medicare reimbursement rates.
Without set payment codes, doctors using FDA-approved pediatric devices may not be reimbursed properly, which could affect how widely those devices are adopted. Clearer payment rates could influence whether physicians choose to use pediatric-specific devices, though the bill does not guarantee coverage of any particular device.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a Senate committee is reviewing it. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.