140+ Health Care Organizations Urge Congress to Secure Five-Year Extension for Successful Hospital at Home Program
Cosigners Include Tampa General Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida and Lakeland Regional Health
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Chair of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means, issued the following statement after more than 140 leading health care organizations, including hospitals, health systems, provider groups and patient advocates, sent a letter to congressional leaders urging a five-year extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver:
“Momentum is building for my bipartisan effort to extend the Hospital at Home program, which allows efficient, high-quality care at lower costs, especially for the nearly 200,000 seniors in my district. My Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act will enable over 200 hospitals across 34 states, including 23 in Florida, to continue this program. With over 140 organizations supporting this extension, Congress must act now to ensure hospitals can expand access to this vital care model.”
Buchanan’s bipartisan, bicameral Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, co-led with Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) and Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), would extend the AHCaH waiver program through 2030.
A recent report from CMS shows that allowing patients to be treated in a more familiar environment accelerates recovery time, lowers mortality and reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections and falls. Without congressional action, the temporary waiver authority will expire this September.
Supporters of the letter include leading national health care organizations, such as the American Hospital Association and the AARP, as well as area health care providers, such as Tampa General Hospital, Shields at Home, Lee Health System, Inc. and Lakeland Regional Health.
Read the letter and list of supporting organizations here.
Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for improving Americans’ health and care. Buchanan recently introduced the FORCE-FIT Act (H.R. 3750), which would establish a pilot program in the Department of Defense to provide access to Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGMs) for servicemembers with certain health conditions to track metabolic health data. In March 2025, Buchanan’s Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), which expands treatment options provided through employers’ healthcare coverage for Americans living with chronic diseases, passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote. In February 2025, Buchanan introduced two bills to promote preventive health: the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer.
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