Medicare expands cardiac rehab access beyond physicians

What it does

This bill expands Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs by allowing physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists—not just physicians—to prescribe and oversee these programs. It also broadens the definition of eligible settings from 'a physician's office' to 'the office setting,' potentially including other clinical locations. The changes take effect 6 months after enactment.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is straightforward: it expands the class of qualified providers eligible to deliver already-covered rehabilitation services under Medicare, with no new restrictions or carve-outs. This is a direct access-broadening measure.

What the text implies

• Expansion of scope of practice for non-physician clinicians may increase demand for training and credentialing in cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, potentially creating workforce development pressure.
• Broader provider eligibility could shift reimbursement patterns if physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists command different fee schedules than physicians under Medicare.
• Rural and underserved areas may see disproportionate benefit if non-physician providers are more willing to practice in lower-density regions.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Medicare beneficiaries gain expanded access to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services through a broader pool of qualified providers, potentially reducing wait times and improving care availability in underserved areas. The change does not restrict any existing benefit or impose new cost-sharing; it only widens the practitioners eligible to deliver already-covered services.

Who stands to gain

• physician assistants
• nurse practitioners
• clinical nurse specialists
• rehabilitation service providers
• healthcare systems expanding non-physician staffing

Named in the bill

Medicare, Social Security Act, Section 1861(eee), Section 1861(fff), physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Dec 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

8 lobbying clients named this bill on 10 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $2,023,067 in lobbying spend. A filing names 50 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 88% of bills with at least one filing.

Terri Sewell, the sponsor, reported $1,666,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners — $950,000 on 2 filings
• American Heart Association — $400,000 on 1 filing
• American Nurses Association — $270,000 on 1 filing
• American Academy of Physician Associates — $160,000 on 1 filing
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners — $130,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.