On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill designed to protect the hospital-at-home waiver, which has thus far been extended through a series of short-term measures.
The bill, called the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, would extend the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program for five years. The program is currently set to expire on Jan. 30, along with other telehealth measures.
The American Hospital Association and ATA Action, an advocacy organization affiliated with the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), commended the passing of the bill.
“The Acute Hospital Care at Home program, in place for over half a decade, has become a critical part of the nation’s care delivery system,” Alexis Apple, director of federal affairs at the ATA and head of federal government affairs at ATA Action, said in a statement. “During the recent government shutdown, the AHCaH program was subjected to an unacceptable lapse, making the need for an extension of this length more necessary than ever.”
Over 330 hospitals in 37 states participate in the hospital-at-home waiver program, which has bipartisan support. The series of short-term extensions has deterred some organizations from participating in the program, experts have told Home Health Care News. If passed, the bill could assuage some of those concerns.
“Extending the hospital at home program by five years would give those hospitals and health systems the assurance they need to invest in the development of their hospital at home in order to help patients, their family caregivers and their care delivery,” Dr. Bruce Leff, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, previously told HHCN.
Regulatory uncertainty around the program also closed a notable operator in the hospital-at-home space. Inbound Health, a hospital-at-home enablement provider, closed the same day as the bill was passed, citing regulatory uncertainty.
“This was largely due to regulatory uncertainty as demonstrated by the recent government closure and the lack of a long-term extension of the AHCAH Waiver Program,” Inbound told HHCN in an email. “That uncertainty made it impossible for Inbound to secure additional capital to continue normal operations.”
The bill must next pass through the Senate and across President Donald Trump’s desk to be enacted.
“Now, it’s up to the Senate to pass this important legislation and send the bill to President Trump for his signature before the Jan. 30, 2026, deadline,” Apple said.