Medicare Patient Choice Act
Sponsored By: Representative Smucker
Introduced
Summary
Expands who Medicare beneficiaries can designate as their provider. This bill would add therapists and qualified audiologists to the list of professionals beneficiaries can name under Medicare's section 1802(b).
Show full summary
- Beneficiaries: Gives Medicare patients clearer access to designate therapists and audiologists for covered services, which may make it easier to receive physical, occupational, speech, and audiology care.
- Therapists and audiologists: Allows qualified physical therapists, qualified occupational therapists, qualified speech language pathologists, and qualified audiologists to be named as designated providers for payment under the cited Medicare rule.
- Medicare rules and providers: Revises multiple references inside section 1802(b) and adds definitions so the new provider types are recognized consistently across that part of the statute.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More Medicare choice of therapists, audiologists
If enacted, this bill would let Medicare patients pick from more types of clinicians for certain services. You could choose a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, or qualified audiologist, not just a doctor or other practitioner. This change would expand provider choice. It would not change Medicare eligibility or payment rates.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Smucker
PA • R
Cosponsors
Davis (NC)
NC • D
Sponsored 6/26/2025
Hern (OK)
OK • R
Sponsored 7/15/2025
Fields
LA • D
Sponsored 8/8/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 8/29/2025
Grothman
WI • R
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Kelly (PA)
PA • R
Sponsored 3/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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