AAPM&R signed on to a letter urging support for S. 3130, the “Independence at Home Act of 2016” introduced by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Michael Bennett (D-CO) and Rob Portman (D-OH). This bipartisan legislation expands the highly successful Independence at Home (IAH) demonstration project (1866E of the Medicare Act) that has been providing home-based primary medical care to nearly 10,000 elders with severe chronic illness and disability over the last 4 years.
The IAH model uses interdisciplinary teams to coordinate all medical and social services in eligible patients’ homes, providing high quality clinical care, and excellent patient experience while reducing total Medicare costs. The “Independence at Home Act of 2016” expands a targeted, proven elder care model so that it can benefit more Medicare beneficiaries with severe chronic illness and disability through coordinated, home-based primary care. Over 2 million seniors who are living with disability and multiple chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease would meet the eligibility criteria for IAH.