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Congress·In Committee·about 1 year ago

Congress Proposes Ending 5-Month Wait for Disability Checks and 2-Year Wait for Medicare

Also known as: Stop the Wait Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

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Senate
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Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill aims to help people with disabilities get their financial support and health insurance much faster. Currently, even after the government confirms a person is disabled, they usually have to wait five months for their first check and two full years for Medicare health coverage.
  • The mandatory five-month wait for disability payments would be phased out gradually. Starting in 2025, the wait would drop to three months, and by 2030, it would be completely eliminated so that payments could start as soon as a person is eligible.
  • The bill also removes the two-year waiting period for Medicare for people who do not have other affordable health insurance. This ensures that people with serious health conditions can see doctors and get medical treatment immediately rather than waiting 24 months.
  • This change is designed to protect families from financial hardship. Many people lose their jobs and their employer-provided health insurance at the same time due to a disability, and these waiting periods often leave them with no income or coverage during a crisis.
HealthcareEconomy Finance

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 4, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Feb 4, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

3 articles
InsuranceNewsNet·about 1 month ago

Bill introduced to help terminally ill access SSDI

Covers the re-introduction of the Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act by Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a related policy aimed at removing the five-month waiting period for SSDI benefits for those with terminal conditions.

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New York Times·over 8 years ago

10,000 people died waiting for a disability decision in the past year

A seminal investigative report detailing the human cost of the Social Security disability backlog. It revealed that over 10,000 people died in 2017 while waiting for a decision, a statistic frequently cited by sponsors of the Stop the Wait Act.

CL−
Able News·over 6 years ago

Stop the Wait Act: Bi-Partisan Effort to End SSDI Waiting Periods

Professional journalism from a disability-focused news outlet covering the introduction of the Stop the Wait Act. It explains the bill's provisions to require immediate payment after eligibility and phase out the 24-month Medicare wait.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Stop the Wait Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 930
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(83)
D: 82R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.