Washington, D.C. — Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Congressman Kenny Marchant (R-TX), and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) released the following statement on the reintroduction of H.R. 3644, the Independence at Home Demonstration Act of 2019, which would extend the Independence at Home Medical Practice Demonstration Program (IAH) for three years. By providing in-home primary care to chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries, IAH has the potential to cut health care costs while yielding valuable benefits for patients.

“The Independence at Home program is a fiscally-responsible solution to help seniors access quality health care and expand the capacity of our nation’s health care system,” said Rep. Burgess. “Under this program, high-need patients continue to receive individual care in the comfort of their homes, reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and allowing physicians and primary care teams to spend more time with patients. By extending IAH, Congress can improve seniors’ access to quality health care and generate savings for American taxpayers.”

“The Independence at Home program has a proven track record of helping people get the care they need and keeping people in their homes, all while saving taxpayers money,” said Rep. Dingell. “IAH is commonsense. Receiving care at home is more comfortable for the patient and supports families who are often juggling work along with their caregiving responsibilities. This bipartisan effort to extend this critical program is part of addressing critical problems in our long-term care system.”

“Dallas is home to one of the 12 practices participating in the Independence at Home Demonstration, with the program’s patients in our district already saving an average of $160 a month while receiving the home-based care they need,” said Rep. Marchant. “Extending this program for another three years will allow even more Medicare recipients enjoy these savings, which is why I am proud to join with my colleagues today in introducing this bill.”

“The Independence at Home program is a proven way to reduce costs and ensure patients with chronic illnesses can receive specialized, quality care right from their homes,” said Rep. Thompson. “I am proud to support this bipartisan bill to ensure this program continues to be available to patients who need it all while saving the taxpayers money.”

Created in 2010 as a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) demonstration, IAH provides home-based primary care to high-need Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions, helping them to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and nursing home admission. The types of beneficiaries enrolled in IAH currently account for the majority of Medicare costs, and are expected to account for increasing costs over the next 10 years.

In 2018, the program was extended for an additional two years with bipartisan support as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act. H.R. 3644 would extend IAH for an additional three years.

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