Hospital At Home Program

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, last week, the Senate passed legislation to fund the Department of Health and Human Services and other Agencies, including a section reflecting bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on healthcare policies in the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee. This bill takes important steps forward on healthcare priorities like taking on pharmaceutical middlemen, also known as pharmacy benefit managers, and achieving mental health parity by going after insurance companies that mislead seniors in Medicare Advantage with lists of doctors that aren't actually available. Americans have deep concerns about the state of their healthcare, and these reforms represent a down payment on the effort to ensure our system benefits families over giant corporations.

This package also includes a 5-year extension of the Hospital at Home Program, an innovative initiative championed by my friend and former colleague Senator Thomas R. Carper. I want to take a moment to recognize Senator Carper's leadership to advance the Hospital at Home Program. This special initiative allows hospitals to treat patients in their homes, rather than in-patient facilities. The program lets patients receive healthcare services where they want, supports family caregivers, and increases hospitals' capacity.

Through the Hospital at Home Program, hospitals are able to provide acute care to patients in their own living rooms through a combination of telehealth and in-person care along with home-delivered meals, nutrition, and medication. Hospitals are able to set patients up with equipment so they are continuously monitored from the comfort of their own homes.

Senator Carper knows the value of providing Federal support for solutions that help more Americans receive healthcare in the setting they prefer: their own homes. So far, 381 hospitals across 37 States are approved to participate in the Hospital at Home Program, and a long-term extension of the program will give more hospitals the certainty they need to take advantage of this opportunity to help patients receive healthcare in their homes. It will also help researchers evaluate whether the program is lowering out-of-pocket healthcare costs, improving outcomes for patients, and expanding access to services offered by rural and urban safety net hospitals. This data will be invaluable as Congress contemplates the future of the program.

Senator Carper championed Hospital at Home up until his last days serving the Senate because he knew of the value it delivered to his constituents and its potential to serve Americans across the country, especially in rural and underserved communities. In recognition of his leadership, the Congressional Record should reflect that this extension would not have been possible without the leadership, vision, and persistence of Senator Carper.

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