Sponsors (2)
This bill expands health, long‑term care, child care, housing, and education supports that would benefit seniors, low‑ and moderate‑income families, caregivers, and workers, funded in part by new revenue measures (including a wealth tax) and large federal spending commitments—trading substantial near‑term fiscal costs, state/local fiscal and administrative burdens, and implementation/access risks (especially in Medicare and HCBS) for broader social coverage and service expansions.
Medicare beneficiaries (seniors and people with disabilities) gain new Part B coverage for dental, hearing, and vision—including fully covered preventive dental care, lower cost‑sharing for many services, rural provider incentives, and dedicated HHS implementation funding—reducing out‑of‑pocket costs and expanding access to basic oral, auditory, and visual care.
Medicaid beneficiaries who need home‑ and community‑based services (HCBS) and direct care workers gain increased federal support (an 8 percentage‑point FMAP bump plus planning grants and quality measure funding), likely expanding HCBS coverage, improving worker pay transparency, and protecting against spousal impoverishment.
Low‑ and moderate‑income families gain access to subsidized, higher‑quality child care with continuous 12‑month eligibility, federal funding and rate models to support provider costs, and priority for vulnerable children—reducing child care costs and improving stability for working parents.
American taxpayers broadly face substantially higher federal outlays across multiple new programs (Medicare expansions, child care, housing authorization, teacher pay increases, Medicaid FMAP enhancements, and the 2026 rebate), which raises near‑term deficits or will require offsetting cuts, higher taxes, or reprioritization of spending.
States, tribes, territories, and localities face new matching, maintenance‑of‑effort, reporting, and compliance requirements for child care, HCBS, housing, and teacher pay programs that could strain state budgets, force tradeoffs, and increase administrative burdens.
Medicare beneficiaries could face higher Part B premiums under a phased premium rule (2027–2031), plus coverage frequency limits and lower provider payment rates or product caps (dental fee schedule at 70% median; competitive acquisition/GSA caps), which together risk higher monthly costs for some enrollees and reduced provider participation, access, and product choice.
Based on analysis of 20 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 2, 2026 by Bernard Sanders · Last progress March 2, 2026
Imposes a new annual wealth tax on very high‑net‑worth individuals, requires large increases in IRS reporting and audits, and dedicates a portion of those revenues to enforcement. Uses new tax revenue and direct appropriations to pay for a mix of programs: recurring affordability rebates for households, expansion of Medicare Part B to cover dental, hearing, and vision services, a nationwide federal child care and early learning entitlement for children under 6, a federal teacher salary grant program guaranteeing a $60,000 starting minimum, large expansions in Medicaid home‑and‑community‑based services (HCBS) through planning grants and enhanced FMAP, and a ten‑year authorization for the Housing Trust Fund. Sets effective dates and funding timelines for many provisions (most starting in 2026–2028), creates new federal plan, reporting, and maintenance‑of‑effort requirements for states and territories, and makes multiple tax‑code changes including removal of the 400% income cap for premium tax credits and creation of an annual affordability rebate beginning in 2026.