ALS Better Care Act
Sponsored By: Senator Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced
Summary
Medicare coverage for ALS-related services would create a new, defined benefit and a bundled visit payment to fund core ALS care like therapy, respiratory and nursing support, and equipment coordination.
Show full summary
- People with ALS and families: Would gain Medicare coverage for eight core ALS supports during a visit, including specialized clinician care, occupational and speech therapy, respiratory and dietary support, registered nurse services, and coordination of durable medical equipment. No cost sharing would apply.
- Providers and clinics: Would get a single payment per ALS visit starting at $800 in 2027, with future increases tied to an ALS services market basket or triennial Comptroller General recommendations, plus payment loadings for providers participating in NIH clinical trials and for newly costly services or technologies.
- Research and trials: Would require the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to report within 90 days after enactment on clinical trial administration and staffing and to offer legislative recommendations, including funding requests, to improve ALS trial capacity.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Medicare ALS single-visit payment
If enacted, Medicare would pay a single bundled payment to qualified providers for ALS-related services per visit starting January 1, 2027. The payment would be $800 per visit in 2027. In 2028 it would be $800 or the Comptroller General's recommended amount, whichever is higher. From 2029 on the amount would generally grow by the ALS services market basket percent each year, and in 2030 and every third year after the Comptroller General's recommendation could replace the mechanical update if higher. This payment would be made to providers without any patient cost sharing and claims must include the ALS ICD-10 code. Providers who participate in NIH-listed clinical trials would get extra payment loading, and new services or technologies not previously paid could receive additional adjustments.
New Medicare ALS outpatient services
If enacted, Medicare would cover a new category called "ALS-related services" starting January 1, 2027. These services would include specialty physician or nurse practitioner care, occupational, speech, and physical therapy, diet and respiratory support, registered nursing, and coordination of durable medical equipment. Coverage would apply only to people medically determined to have ALS and must be furnished in outpatient settings by a qualified provider. Covered outpatient department (OPD) payments would still be payable in addition to any new ALS visit payment.
NIH report on ALS clinical trials
If enacted, the NIH's NINDS would send a report to Congress and post it online within 90 days after enactment. The report would identify problems in administering and staffing ALS clinical trials and recommend actions NINDS can take. It may include legislative recommendations and requests for appropriations to improve trial administration and staffing.
Who can bill for ALS care
If enacted, the HHS Secretary would write rules to define which providers count as "qualified providers" for the new ALS-related payments. The qualified-provider rule must be adopted through public notice-and-comment rulemaking. The Secretary must consult people with ALS, physicians who provide ALS services, and ALS organizations when making the rule. The rule could expand or limit which clinics and clinicians are allowed to bill the new ALS payment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
AK • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 2/3/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov