WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cosponsored the bipartisan Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act—legislation that helps seniors in rural Arizona access the in-home health care services they’ve earned through Medicare.
“Arizona seniors deserve access to the Medicare benefits they’ve earned through a lifetime of hard work,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Aging Committee. “Expanding access to in-home health care allows seniors in rural communities to receive critical health care.”
In-home health care is medical care provided in a patient’s home by skilled nurses or certified caregivers. Approximately 39,000 Arizona Medicare beneficiaries receive in-home health care. Currently, Medicare only covers in-home health care if it is prescribed by a physician, which makes the service inaccessible to many Arizona seniors living in rural communities with a physician shortage. By allowing nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and similarly qualified medical providers to prescribe home health care under Medicare, Sinema is increasing the accessibility of critical health care services to all Arizona seniors.
Sinema recently cosponsored the bipartisan Rural Access to Hospice Act, which increases access to hospice care for Arizonans in rural communities. Additionally, earlier this year Sinema partnered with a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Mental Health Improvement Act, which expands mental health services for seniors.
Sinema also supported the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act in the U.S. House.