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HR 3954
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Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2025

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to count a period of receipt of outpatient observation services in a hospital toward satisfying the 3-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for coverage of skilled nursing facility services under Medicare, and for other purposes.

Introduced Jun 12, 2025

Latest action (Jun 12, 2025) 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.

Referred to
Energy and Commerce Committee Ways and Means Committee
Policy area
Health
Issues
Healthcare

Summary

This bill modifies Medicare's skilled nursing facility coverage rules by allowing time spent receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to count toward the three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement. Currently, observation services are classified as outpatient care and do not satisfy this requirement; the bill treats them as inpatient time for coverage purposes. The change takes effect January 1, 2026, and can be applied retroactively to previously denied claims if an appeal is filed within 90 days of the bill's enactment.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
42 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Joe Courtney’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • NULL $24,020
  • ELECTRIC BOAT $15,150
  • GENERAL DYNAMICS ELECTRIC BOAT $12,000
  • BIRDON $6,650
  • CEDAR ISLAND MARINA $6,600

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Joe Courtney → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)
  1. Jun 12, 2025 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. · house
  2. Jun 12, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 1816 — Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 · Introduced May 20, 2025 · Cong. 119 84%
  • HR 3864 — Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2025 · Introduced Jun 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 84%
  • HR 4093 — Apples to Apples Comparison Act of 2025 · Introduced Jun 24, 2025 · Cong. 119 83%
  • S 2793 — Ensuring Access to Essential Providers Act of 2025 · Introduced Sep 11, 2025 · Cong. 119 83%
  • HR 879 — Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025 · Introduced Jan 31, 2025 · Cong. 119 82%
  • HR 10136 — Promoting Fairness for Medicare Providers Act of 2024 · Introduced Dec 17, 2024 · Cong. 118 81%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · Jun 12, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 12, 2025

Mr. Courtney (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, and Mr. Estes) introduced the following bill; which was 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

A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to count a period of receipt of outpatient observation services in a hospital toward satisfying the 3-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for coverage of skilled nursing facility services under Medicare, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2025”.

SEC. 2. COUNTING A PERIOD OF RECEIPT OF OUTPATIENT OBSERVATION SERVICES IN A HOSPITAL TOWARD THE 3-DAY INPATIENT HOSPITAL STAY REQUIREMENT FOR COVERAGE OF SKILLED NURSING FACILITY SERVICES UNDER MEDICARE.

(a) In General.—Section 1861(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(i)) is amended by adding at the end the following: “For purposes of this subsection, an individual receiving outpatient observation services shall be deemed to be an inpatient during such period, and the date such individual ceases receiving such services shall be deemed the hospital discharge date (unless such individual is admitted as a hospital inpatient at the end of such period).”.

(b) Effective Date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to receipt of outpatient observation services beginning on or after January 1, 2026, but applies to a period of post-hospital extended care services that was completed before the date of the enactment of this Act only if an administrative appeal is or has been made with respect to such services not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may implement such amendment through an interim final regulation, program instruction, or otherwise. <all>

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