Senator Casey Introduces NCUIH-Backed Legislation to Improve Community Health Worker Coverage

Category: Policy Blog
written by Emily Larsen | July 22, 2024

On March 07, 2024, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the NCUIH-endorsed Community Health Workers Access Act (S. 3892) which would improve local health workers’ ability to bridge gaps in health outcomes by improving Medicare coverage for their services, including personalized support for illness prevention and recovery. This bill would have a direct impact on Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) by allowing them to bill Medicare and Medicaid for services provided by community health workers. It would also designate UIOs, community-based organization, nonprofit organizations, community health worker networks, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, local or State public health departments, academic institutions, health care providers, and any other organizations deemed appropriate by the Secretary as community health agencies, allowing them to bill Medicare for community health services.

Additionally, the bill encourages states to cover services provided by community health workers under their Medicaid programs. In fact, the bill would incentivize states to include community health workers under Medicaid by providing an enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), to cover preventive services and services to address social needs furnished by community health workers.

This bill is endorsed by over 200 community health centers, Families USA, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and National Association for Community Health Workers.

NCUIH Advocacy on the Bill

NCUIH provided edits to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, ensuring that UIOs were included in the definition of a community health agency. Last year, NCUIH also joined over 200 organizations in signing on to a letter sent to members of Congress encouraging support for this legislation.

Next Steps

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It currently awaits consideration.

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