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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2026, members such as Brett Guthrie.
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July 20, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1703) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify payment rules for manual wheelchairs under part B of the Medicare program, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1703
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Choices for Increased
Mobility Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL RULES RELATED TO TREATMENT OF CERTAIN MANUAL
WHEELCHAIRS UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
Section 1834(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395m(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
“(24) Special rules related to treatment of certain manual
wheelchairs.—
“(A) Requirement to establish separate hcpcs codes for
certain manual wheelchairs.—With respect to ultralightweight
manual wheelchairs payable under this subsection
furnished on or after January 1, 2028, the Secretary shall
establish two or more HCPCS codes, as determined appropriate
by the Secretary, for the base of such a wheelchair depending
on the construction material used in such base (with 1 or
more such codes for such a base with titanium or carbon fiber
construction material and 1 or more such codes for such a
base without such materials).
“(B) Payment and beneficiary protections.—
“(i) Payment.—On or after January 1, 2028, in the case
where an individual purchases or rents from a supplier an
ultralightweight manual wheelchair that has titanium or
carbon fiber construction material used in the base of such
wheelchair, payment to the supplier shall be made in the
frequency and amount as would otherwise be made under this
subsection (as described in paragraph (1)(A)) for such
wheelchair.
“(ii) Beneficiary charges.—The supplier may charge the
individual the difference between the supplier's actual
charge for such wheelchair and the payment amount described
in clause (i) for such wheelchair.
“(iii) Beneficiary protections.—In order to inform an
individual of the individual's potential financial liability
under clause (ii), the Secretary may require a supplier to
issue a notice to the individual (in a form and manner
determined by the Secretary) prior to the purchase or rental
of such ultralightweight manual wheelchair by such
individual.”.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and include extraneous material on H.R. 1703.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), my good friend, the sponsor of this legislation, a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and head of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act.
titanium or a carbon-fiber wheelchair is right for them, giving patients the option to pay out of pocket for wheelchair upgrades if that is their choice.
new wheelchair codes and enables upgrades within existing codes. Importantly, this will remove barriers to patients, allowing the patient to access the upgraded benefit at no additional cost to CMS.
advantage of their Medicare benefits and give them the freedom to choose the equipment that is right for the patient, a decision that has profound impacts on their individual lives.
access to lightweight wheelchair options for individuals with mobility impairments since 2016.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to see this important bill come to the House floor today, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will clarify Medicare payment rules for ultra lightweight manual wheelchairs and allow Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to wheelchairs with titanium or carbon fiber materials at their own cost.
of wheelchairs. Under the bill, seniors would have the choice to acquire a wheelchair with titanium or carbon fiber materials through the Medicare program with additional out-of-pocket costs. I am glad that the bill would require suppliers to notify beneficiaries of the additional financial liability.
Mr. Speaker, while I support this bill, I am concerned that the bill only helps higher income seniors who can afford to pay out of pocket for these additional upgrades beyond what is covered under the Medicare program. The universality of the Medicare program and the fact that all beneficiaries have access to the same benefits is an important principle in my opinion.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1703, led by my good friend who previously spoke, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).
access the right wheelchair to help them move freely in their daily lives. Ultimately, the payment clarifications in this legislation are intended to improve access to wheelchair upgrades among Medicare beneficiaries who choose to do so.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
This is a bipartisan bill. It is something we all support, and I thank my colleagues for supporting it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1703, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.