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Congress·In Committee·27 days ago

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

Also known as: ALS Better Care Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impact Analysis

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

State Impacts

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

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 3, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related News

1 article
HT Syndication·27 days ago

SCHAKOWSKY, BIPARTISAN COLLEAGUES REINTRODUCE ALS BETTER CARE ACT TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SPECIALIZED CARE

U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jason Crow, and Mike Quigley reintroduced the ALS Better Care Act, bipartisan legislation to expand access to specialized, multidisciplinary care for people living with ALS at no cost by creating a supplemental Medicare payment.

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