NHIA Voices Support for Expanding Care in the Home Act

• By Laurie Watanabe
• May 22, 2023

The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) has voiced approval for H.R. 2853, the Expanding Care in the Home Act.

In a late April news announcement, NHIA explained the bill “would expand coverage for home-based services, such as home infusion, dialysis, diagnostic imaging, and personal care services for Medicare beneficiaries.”

H.R. 2853 was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) on April 25. In the news announcement, NHIA also thanked Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Moving Health Home, which describes itself as “a coalition made up of stakeholders working to change federal and state policy to enable the home to be a clinical site of care.”

NHIA said the bill “clearly outlines gaps in the current Medicare benefit for patients who prefer to access a variety of healthcare services in their homes.”

John Rademacher, CEO of Option Care Health and chair of the NHIA’s board of directors, said in the announcement, “The Expanding Care in the Home Act breaks down barriers in the Medicare program that make home-based care inaccessible. The past few years have demonstrated that a wide array of healthcare services can be provided in the home at the convenience of patients and to the benefit of the healthcare system at large. However, providing coverage for the full scope of professional services necessary in providing that care — such as pharmacy services for home infusion — is essential to designing workable coverage.”

Connie Sullivan, President/CEO of NHIA, added, “NHIA appreciates the partnership with Moving Health Home in drafting this legislation that shows how a comprehensive benefit for home-based care, including infusion services, could work. It’s critical that Medicare beneficiaries have the same access to contemporary care models that patients in the commercial sector enjoy. Unfortunately, under the current Medicare Home Infusion Therapy benefit, we’ve only seen a widening gap in access, as evidenced by CMS’ most recent HIT monitoring report. We urge Congress to take action to remedy these issues and move the Medicare program further into the future of home-based care.”