H.R. 2533: Ensuring Access to Specialty care Everywhere Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Ensuring Access to Specialty care Everywhere Act of 2025 (or EASE Act of 2025), proposes to amend the Social Security Act to enhance access to specialty health services for certain beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid. The key points of the bill are as follows:

1. Objective

The main objective of the bill is to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a new model aimed at improving access to specialty health care services for eligible individuals.

2. Specialty Health Care Services Access Model

The bill introduces the Specialty Health Care Services Access Model, which is designed to provide specialty health care services via digital means, such as telehealth. This model is expected to work in tandem with individuals' primary care providers.

3. Provider Networks

To implement this model, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will select one or more networks of providers. These networks must meet certain criteria:

• They must consist of at least 50 Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals, with at least half located in rural areas.
• They should be registered as nonprofit entities.
• They must have a proven track record of supporting health care delivery in rural and underserved communities across multiple regions.
• They should possess the capacity to collect, exchange, and evaluate relevant data.

4. Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for services under this model, individuals must:

• Be entitled to benefits under Medicare (Part A or Part B) or be enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
• Be located in a rural or underserved area as defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

5. Funding Limitations

Any funds appropriated or allocated to implement the bill's provisions will be subject to existing legal frameworks related to funding for health programs, specifically those outlined in Public Law 117-328.

Relevant Companies

None found.