Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026 has not moved since its introduction on May 21, 2026, with cosponsors from both parties

Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026 This bill deems an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital as an inpatient for purposes of satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital-stay requirement with respect to Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. (Generally, individuals must have been an inpatient at a hospital for at least three days in order to qualify for SNF services. An individual's time spent under observation at a hospital for purposes of determining whether the individual should be admitted does not count towards this requirement.)