The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to approve legislation to extend and expand the Independence at Home (IAH) this month, a bill Powers Principal Peggy Tighe has worked to advance on behalf of the American Academy of Home Care Medicine and dozens of allies.
The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Peter Roskam (R-IL), and Mike Thompson (D-CA), is likely to receive House floor action this month. The Senate Finance committee passed companion legislation earlier this year, and it was advanced to the Senate floor where it received unanimous support in September. Once the IAH legislation passes the House floor, IAH supporters will work to ensure that the bill becomes law.
The bill would extend the Independence at Home Medical Practice Demonstration Program for two additional years and expand it to more beneficiaries. The program provides a home-based primary care benefit to high-need Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions, allowing them to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, ER visits, and nursing home use.
If passed, this would be the second time the IAH program has been extended since its inception five years ago. Powers Senior Counsel Jim Pyles and Peggy Tighe also worked to advance the “Medicare Independence at Home Extension Medical Practice Demonstration Improvement Act of 2015,” which served as the first extension of the program.
Powers co-founder Jim Pyles has been actively engaged in chronic care issues and the independence at home movement for the last several decades and was a principal author of the original Independence at Home demonstration legislation. Jim is nationally known for his expertise in chronic care coordination, home health, hospice, and ambulatory care services.
Peggy Tighe works with the Powers Healthcare and the Government Relations and Public Policy teams. She has more than 25 years of experience working with physicians, hospitals and patient groups through her work at the American Medical Association and dozens of national coalitions and organizations.
Peggy focuses her practice on lobbying, coalition building, crafting and implementing grass roots campaigns and coordinating media relations. Her extensive government relations and advocacy experience is invaluable to clients who need in-depth insight and hands-on work with Congress, especially those seeking to advance legislation to passage and through regulatory implementation.
To read the full text of the bill, click here. For more information on Independence at Home, see www.IAHNOW.org or contact Peggy Tighe at 202-872-6752 or Peggy.Tighe@PowersLaw.com.