Senators Carper and Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Extend the Hospital at Home Waiver Program for Five Years

Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation that would extend the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program for five years. This bill continues the success of the program, which has routinely been demonstrated to reduce costs, improve patient outcomes, and lessen the burden on hospitals. This extension would provide much-needed stability to Medicare patients nationwide by enabling providers to continue delivering hospital-level care to Medicare beneficiaries in the comfort of their own homes. 

The program is currently active in 37 states nationwide, including Delaware and South Carolina. It is set to expire on December 31, 2024.

“Since Hospital at Home was implemented just a few years ago, we have seen this program deliver positive patient outcomes and reduce costs nationwide. I recently had the opportunity to celebrate Delaware’s own ChristianaCare as they admitted their 1,000^th patient through the program,” said Senator Carper. “Today, I’m glad to join Senator Scott in introducing legislation to extend the Hospital at Home program for five years, and ensure hospitals across the country can continue to meet seniors right where they are.”

“The Acute Hospital Care at Home program has revolutionized health care for so many Americans by improving care while cutting down on the health risks associated with hospital stays,” said Senator Scott. “I’m proud of our efforts to extend this program, ease pressure on our health care system, and allow thousands of vulnerable Americans to continue receiving high quality care from the safety of their homes.”

“At ChristianaCare, we know the best way to improve health at an affordable cost is to deliver the right care, at the right time, and in the best setting for every patient,” said ChristianaCare President & CEO Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH. “As a national leader in delivering acute care in the home, this innovative new model of care is safe, delivers good outcomes—and best of all, our patients love it. We are incredibly grateful for Senator Carper’s leadership in providing the legislative framework that makes this care possible.”

In the wake of the pandemic, Senators Carper and Scott have consistently worked together to extend the Hospital at Home Program. During the 117th Congress, they introduced and passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, legislation that extended the Hospital at Home waiver program two years beyond the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This bipartisan bill also required that CMS issue regulations establishing health and safety requirements for Hospital at Home Programs and that the Department of Health and Human Services submit a report to Congress on the efficacy of the waiver program. Senator Carper also introduced the At Home Observation and Medical Evaluation (HOME) Services Act with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), bipartisan legislation that would expand Hospital at Home to include observation status patients, who are currently excluded from the program.

Read the text of the bill here.

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