H.R. 8875, the Improving Home Dialysis Act, facilitates patient access to home dialysis by allowing Medicare to reimburse for additional home dialysis support services, including: Staff-assisted home dialysis services to assist with home dialysis education and instances of physical limitations. Renal mental health support services to better support the transition to home dialysis and promote kidney transplantation.
Allow Medicare to reimburse additional home dialysis support services, including staff-assisted home dialysis services and renal mental health support services for home dialysis patients.
Occurrences
Full Title To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include certain additional services as self-care home dialysis support services under the Medicare program.
Evidence
The House Ways and Means Committee said H.R. 8875 passed committee 28-13 and that current Medicare does not reimburse staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health support services for home dialysis patients.
GovInfo records H.R. 8875 as introduced by Mrs. Miller of West Virginia on May 19, 2026 and referred to Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means. The full title would amend Medicare to include additional self-care home dialysis support services.
The bill text would add, beginning January 1, 2028, staff-assisted home dialysis respite care and renal mental health services furnished at the patient's residence, and would create payment adjustments for those services.
The markup record says the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8875 passed by voice vote and H.R. 8875 was ordered favorably reported as amended by a 28-13 roll call vote.
Current home dialysis facility rules require training, monitoring, care coordination, plan-of-care review, consultation, water monitoring, home supplies and equipment, and backup dialysis planning; they do not list the new staff-assisted respite care or renal mental health reimbursement categories proposed in H.R. 8875.
The current ESRD per-treatment payment formula lists the base rate, outlier payment, training add-on, transitional drug and equipment add-ons, and new renal dialysis drug or biological add-on; it does not include separate staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health payment adjustments.
Congress.gov records Carol D. Miller as sponsor of H.R. 8075 in the 118th Congress. The bill's official title would provide Medicare coverage of staff-assisted home dialysis, but its status remained Introduced with latest action a Ways and Means Health Subcommittee referral on December 17, 2024.
GovInfo records H.R. 8875 as introduced by Mrs. Miller of West Virginia on May 19, 2026 and referred to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means; the page’s last action date remains May 19, 2026.
The current ESRD per-treatment payment formula lists the base rate, outlier payment, training add-on, transitional drug add-on, new equipment/supplies add-on, and new renal dialysis drug or biological product add-on; it does not include separate reimbursement categories for staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health support services.
Assessments
Miller materially advanced the idea by introducing H.R. 8875 and securing House Ways and Means committee approval, but the promise was not actually delivered. Current Medicare regulations still do not provide separate reimbursement for staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health support services, and there is no enactment or implemented program in the record. This is a serious legislative attempt that fell short of the promised outcome.
Miller sponsored H.R. 8875 in the current Congress, and the bill closely matches the promised Medicare reimbursement changes and advanced through Ways and Means. However, it has not passed both chambers, become law, or been implemented in Medicare regulations, and current rules still do not include the promised staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health reimbursement categories.