# 119-hr-8804: Medicare Payment Integrity Enhancement Act of 2026

119-hr-8804, Medicare Payment Integrity Enhancement Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11] (R-PA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8804
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8804
- Congress: 119
- Title: Medicare Payment Integrity Enhancement Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11] (R-PA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would authorize Medicare to use _prepayment reviews by recovery audit contractors_ to stop improper payments before claims are paid.** It also creates a dedicated funding route and payment rules that reward prevented improper payments without overemphasizing specific claim types. - Medicare program: Would let CMS fund and run prepayment reviews aimed at preventing improper payments before Medicare pays claims. Funding would come from transfers from the Hospital Insurance (Part A) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (Part B) trust funds to the CMS Program Management Account in proportions set by the Secretary. - Providers and suppliers: Claims could be reviewed before payment rather than relying only on postpayment recoupment, changing when and how Medicare evaluates billed services. - Recovery audit contractors and CMS operations: RACs would be authorized to perform prepayment reviews and be paid under a Secretary-established methodology that accounts for prevented improper payments. The Secretary must issue regulations within 1 year describing the payment method and how savings from prepayment reviews will be calculated, and contracts must conform to the new rules within 1 year.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Medicare prepayment audits for claims: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would let the HHS Secretary hire recovery audit contractors to check some Medicare claims before Medicare pays them. The Secretary would set a payment method for those contractors that counts the improper payments prevented and avoids over‑focusing on particular claim types. T…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act
- 119-hr-4895: Afghan Adjustment Act
- 119-hr-3132: CHOICE for Veterans Act of 2025
- 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8804 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8804)

## Related
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570)
- [119-hr-4895: Afghan Adjustment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4895)
- [119-hr-3132: CHOICE for Veterans Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3132)
- [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8804 (as of 2026-09-21).