Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026," directs the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI) to test a new payment model. The proposed model would allow blood transfusions for individuals receiving hospice care to be paid separately from the standard all-inclusive per diem payment. The CMI must establish and implement this model within one year of the act's enactment. The separate payment for transfusions would be based on what would normally apply if the transfusion was not part of hospice care. The bill also requires the CMI to evaluate the model by comparing participants against similar patients outside of the model using specific metrics.
Yes· 3 of 4
- Scored +5
Would people over 65 be better off under this?
The bill provides potential benefits for senior citizens receiving hospice care by facilitating access to blood transfusions.
- Scored +5
Would retired people be better off under this?
Improving access to transfusion care is a positive development for retirees receiving hospice care.
- Scored +5
Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65?
The bill seeks to change Medicare payment structures to allow for separate reimbursement of blood transfusions in hospice care.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Separate Payment for Transfusions: The bill would establish a model where blood transfusions are paid separately from the standard hospice all-inclusive per diem payment (Section 2, subsection (h)(1)). This could change how these services are funded for individuals receiving hospice care.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would retired people be better off under this? — Improving access to transfusion care is a positive development for retirees receiving hospice care. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — The bill provides potential benefits for senior citizens receiving hospice care by facilitating access to blood transfusions.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — By allowing separate payment for transfusions, the bill aims to improve access to this specific care for hospice patients. Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65? — The bill seeks to change Medicare payment structures to allow for separate reimbursement of blood transfusions in hospice care.
- 9/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/15/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia