Sen. Cassidy Introduces Bipartisan Bill to End Medicare's 190-Day Limit on Psychiatric Hospital Care
This bill removes the 190-day lifetime cap on inpatient psychiatric hospital coverage under Medicare. While this won't affect most of Medicare's 67 million beneficiaries, it's a significant change for the subset who need long-term or repeated psychiatric hospitalization — particularly those with severe conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or treatment-resistant depression. These patients currently face the prospect of losing coverage entirely once they exhaust the 190-day limit, leaving them or their families responsible for the full cost of care.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
A new legislative push to repeal Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric care gained momentum after a MedPAC report called the policy discriminatory. The bill would ensure seniors with chronic mental illness maintain access to specialized hospital care without coverage gaps.
Senator Bill Cassidy is leading a bipartisan group to strike down a 60-year-old Medicare rule that limits psychiatric hospital stays to 190 days over a lifetime. Lawmakers argue the limit is a relic of an era when mental health was stigmatized and treated differently than physical ailments.
This week's roundup covers the MedPAC report recommending the removal of Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric care. Experts note that the limit creates significant health equity gaps for low-income and disabled seniors who rely on specialized facilities for chronic care.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Removing Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Limitations Act of 2026
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