Medicare removes copays for chronic care management services
H.R. 8261 — Chronic Care Management Improvement Act of 2026 · Filed by Suzan DelBene (D-WA) · 9 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 14, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill removes patient cost-sharing (copayments and deductibles) for chronic care management services under Medicare Part B, effective January 1, 2027. Medicare will pay 100% of the allowed charge for these services, and patients will no longer owe a deductible. The change applies to services already defined in existing Medicare law.
Why we flagged it
The bill directly expands Medicare coverage by eliminating cost-sharing for a defined service category. It is a straightforward benefit-enhancement measure with no hidden mechanisms or narrow carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Increased utilization of chronic care management services may raise total Medicare spending, though preventive care coordination often reduces downstream acute-care costs; net fiscal impact depends on utilization elasticity and avoided hospitalization rates.
- Providers may face increased demand for these services; reimbursement rates (set elsewhere in Section 1848) remain unchanged, so revenue per service is fixed but volume may rise.
- Effective date of January 1, 2027 allows time for Medicare administrative systems and provider networks to prepare for increased volume.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions gain free access to care management services that help coordinate treatment and prevent complications. Removing cost barriers increases utilization of preventive care that reduces hospitalizations and improves health outcomes, particularly for lower-income seniors who may skip care due to cost.
Who stands to gain
- Medicare beneficiaries (seniors and disabled individuals)
- healthcare providers offering chronic care management services
Named in the bill
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Part B, Social Security Act Section 1833, Social Security Act Section 1848(b)(8)
Where it stands
9 cosponsors: 8 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Apr 14, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 14, 2026 — 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
5 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $4,940,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 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 78% of bills with at least one filing.
Suzan DelBene, the sponsor, reported $1,605,299 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Hospital Association — $4,470,000 on 1 filing
- Alliance for Connected Care — $200,000 on 1 filing
- Healthcare Leadership Council — $200,000 on 1 filing
- Cadence — $35,000 on 1 filing
- Remote Monitoring Leadership Council — $35,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,087 characters) on May 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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