Sponsors (2)
The bill improves access to and affordability of multidisciplinary ALS care and strengthens clinical-trial capacity for a vulnerable patient population, but it increases federal Medicare spending and administrative complexity and risks uneven access or inadequate payments in some places.
Medicare beneficiaries with ALS will pay less out-of-pocket per visit because the bill creates a single, no-cost-sharing per-visit payment for multidisciplinary ALS care beginning in 2027.
People with ALS — including those in rural areas — will get better and more timely access to multidisciplinary care and telehealth services, reducing travel burdens, wait times, and missed appointments.
Qualified ALS providers and clinics (hospitals, specialists, trial sites) will gain more predictable and improved revenue stability through higher and indexed per-visit payments, incentivizing maintenance/expansion of ALS services and participation in clinical trials.
Taxpayers and the Medicare program will face increased federal spending because of higher Medicare reimbursement, new per-visit payments (including indexing), and potential new appropriations to support ALS services and trials.
Some ALS patients and providers may be disadvantaged by a fixed per-visit payment (initially $800 in 2027–28) that may not cover extremely complex, variable, or high-cost multidisciplinary care or costs in high-cost geographic areas, potentially reducing service intensity or straining providers.
Rural and low-income patients who lack reliable broadband or digital literacy risk worse access if care shifts toward telehealth reliance, worsening disparities for some of the people the bill aims to help.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Adds Medicare coverage and a single per-visit payment for defined ALS-related services, sets payment amounts and update rules, and requires an NINDS report on ALS clinical trial challenges.
Introduced February 3, 2026 by Lisa Murkowski · Last progress February 3, 2026
Creates Medicare coverage and a single per-visit payment for a defined bundle of ALS-related services, sets initial dollar amounts and a method for future updates, requires no cost-sharing for beneficiaries, and directs HHS/GAO to set provider criteria and recommend payment levels. It also requires NINDS at NIH to report within 90 days on challenges to administering and staffing ALS clinical trials and to propose actions or legislative recommendations to address them.