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Congress·In Committee

Bipartisan Senate Bill Aims to Expand Medicare Access to Home Oxygen and Respiratory Therapists

SOAR Act of 2025

11 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Key Points

  • This bill changes how Medicare pays for home oxygen equipment and services. Starting in 2026, it moves away from a system based on the lowest bidder to a set payment schedule. This is designed to make sure suppliers are paid enough to provide high-quality equipment and reliable service, especially for people living in rural areas.
  • People on Medicare who need oxygen will get new protections through a 'Patient Bill of Rights.' This guarantees the right to choose your supplier, receive 24-hour emergency support, and get help with equipment when traveling. It also requires suppliers to provide better safety training and regular equipment maintenance.
  • For the first time, Medicare would officially cover services from respiratory therapists for patients using home oxygen. These experts would help evaluate patients, monitor their treatment, and make sure they are using their equipment correctly and safely to avoid health complications.
  • The policy specifically targets liquid oxygen, which has become harder for many patients to find. It sets a higher minimum payment for liquid oxygen to encourage companies to keep providing it. This is vital for 'high-flow' patients who need more oxygen than standard portable tanks can provide.
  • Patients will receive monthly updates telling them exactly how many months are left in their equipment rental period. Medicare usually stops charging patients for the equipment itself after 36 months of rentals, and this bill ensures people are notified exactly when those out-of-pocket costs should end.
Healthcare

Impact Analysis

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

State Impacts

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 10, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Apr 10, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2026-01-01

Oxygen removed from Medicare competitive bidding; new fee schedule payment rates take effect

Medicare beneficiaries needing home oxygen should find it easier to locate suppliers willing to serve them, as companies will be paid higher, inflation-adjusted rates instead of lowest-bid prices

2026-01-01

Medicare begins covering respiratory therapist services and new supplier responsibility criteria take effect

Patients using home oxygen will get professional respiratory therapist evaluations and monitoring covered by Medicare, and suppliers must meet detailed service standards including safety training, equipment maintenance, and 24-hour on-call coverage

Related News

5 articles
Healio·7 months ago

Protecting patients' rights: Pulmonary nurse urges Congress to pass SOAR Act

The SOAR Act is built on four pillars to make supplemental oxygen more patient-centric. It addresses how decreased Medicare reimbursement has negatively impacted care, aiming to restore access to liquid oxygen and professional respiratory services that were cut under competitive bidding.

C+
MedCity News·6 months ago

SOAR Act Would Help Individuals Relying on Oxygen Thrive

This legislation would stabilize payments for liquid oxygen and ensure patients have access to respiratory therapist services through their oxygen supplier. The bill also codifies a Patient's Bill of Rights to ensure individuals understand their requirements around equipment and care options.

C+
CHEST Physician·4 months ago

SOAR Act in limbo while legislators ride out government shutdown

Despite broad bipartisan backing, the SOAR Act's future is uncertain due to federal budget delays. If enacted, it would remove oxygen from Medicare competitive bidding and create a new add-on rate to reimburse respiratory therapist services, which advocates say is critical for high-flow patients.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

SOAR Act of 2025

Bill NumberS 1406
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)
D: 2R: 3

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.