Washington, D.C. – The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today commended several members of Congress for reintroducing the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2019 (H.R. 1682/S. 753). Introduced by Congressmen Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Glenn 'GT' Thompson (R-PA) and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the legislation ensures that time spent under “observation status” in a hospital counts toward satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement for coverage of skilled nursing care services under Medicare.
“This bipartisan bill will help fix an outdated policy that continues to leave millions of Medicare beneficiaries surprised by thousands of dollars in medical bills and hanging with uncertainty regarding their access to the Medicare coverage they deserve,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “The members of Congress that reintroduced this important legislation are advocates for our nation’s seniors and individuals who need skilled nursing care. We applaud their efforts and support.”
For more information about the observation stays issue, please visit the AHCA/NCAL website here.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 13,700 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.