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Congress·In Committee·S. 3763

Senate Bill Would Create $800-Per-Visit Medicare Benefit for ALS Patients, Waive All Cost-Sharing

ALS Better Care Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov
Part of: Bipartisan 'ALS Better Care Act' Proposed to Eliminate Out-of-Pocket Costs

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill creates a new Medicare benefit specifically for people with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Starting in 2027, Medicare would pay specialized clinics a flat fee of $800 per visit to cover a full team of experts, including physical therapists, speech pathologists, and nutritionists, all in one appointment.
  • Patients with ALS would be able to get this specialized care without paying any out-of-pocket costs. The bill removes the usual co-pays or deductibles for these team-based clinic visits to make sure cost isn't a barrier to treatment.
  • The policy aims to fix a problem where clinics currently lose money providing complex care. By increasing payments, the bill encourages clinics to stay open, reduce wait times, and use telehealth to reach patients living in rural areas who cannot travel easily.
  • To help find a cure, the bill gives extra funding to clinics that participate in clinical trials. It also requires a government report within 90 days to identify why research trials are often understaffed and how to speed up the development of new treatments.
Healthcare

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

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
Feb 3, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related Bills

1 bill
H.R. 7336Related bill

ALS Better Care Act

Feb 3 — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

ALS Better Care Act

Bill NumberS 3763
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.