Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced
Summary
Counts outpatient observation as inpatient so Medicare beneficiaries could meet the three-day hospital requirement for skilled nursing facility coverage. The bill would deem the date a person stops receiving outpatient observation services to be the hospital discharge date unless they are admitted as an inpatient at the end of that period.
Show full summary
- Medicare patients and families: People who spent time under outpatient observation would have those days count toward the 3-day inpatient rule, which could increase eligibility for Medicare-covered skilled nursing facility care.
- Hospitals and providers: Observation-period days would be treated as inpatient days for SNF eligibility calculations, and the discharge date used for counting would be the end of the observation period unless an inpatient admission occurs.
- People with prior stays: Post-hospital extended care services completed before enactment would qualify only if an administrative appeal is or has been filed within 90 days after enactment.
- Administration: The Health and Human Services Secretary could implement the change through interim final regulation, program instruction, or other action.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Count observation days for Medicare SNF
If enacted, this bill would let Medicare patients count hospital outpatient observation days as inpatient days for the three-day (3-day) hospital rule. That three-day rule is what usually triggers Medicare coverage for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care. The day you stop observation would count as your hospital discharge date unless you were admitted as an inpatient at the end of observation. The change would apply to observation days beginning on or after January 1, 2026. For care completed before enactment, the period would count only if an administrative appeal is filed within 90 days after enactment. The Secretary of Health and Human Services could implement the change by regulation, program instruction, or other means.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
ME • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]
VT • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
WV • R
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
AL • R
Sponsored 6/15/2026
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
RI • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov