# 119-hr-9703: Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026

119-hr-9703, Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9703
- As of: 2026-09-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9703
- Congress: 119
- Title: Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-17

## Summary

**Separate Medicare payment for blood transfusions in hospice care** would be tested by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The bill would let the center pay for transfusions outside the hospice all-inclusive per diem and study how that payment affects care near the end of life. - Hospice patients: Transfusions for people in hospice would be billed and paid under Medicare rules separately from the hospice daily rate rather than bundled into the per diem. - Hospices and providers: Providers would receive the payment amount that would apply under Medicare if the transfusion were not furnished as part of hospice care. - CMI and policy analysis: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation would be required to implement this testing model within one year and include it among models it selects to study. The center would compare model participants to similar patients outside the model on measures such as chemotherapy in the last two weeks of life, hospital use in the last month including emergency visits and ICU days, days receiving hospice care before death, and transfusion frequency and counts.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Separate hospice transfusion payments for Medicare: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would require the Medicare Innovation Center to test paying blood transfusions for hospice patients separately from the hospice per diem. The Center would start the payment model within one year of enactment. The transfusion payment would equal the amount Medicare would pay if…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9703 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9703)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9703 (as of 2026-09-17).