ABLE Employment Flexibility Act

Senate Bill

S. 2459

119th Congress

ABLE Employment Flexibility Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jul 24, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Thomas Carper

D - DE

Cosponsors

4

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Health

Summary

This bill would allow physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare, without needing extra supervision from physical or occupational therapists. It also requires a study on how this affects rural areas.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Introduced7/24/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

ABLE Employment Flexibility Act

This bill would allow physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare, without needing extra supervision from physical or occupational therapists. It also requires a study on how this affects r

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill would allow physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare, without needing extra supervision from physical or occupational therapists. It also requires a study on how this affects rural areas.

Bill Number: 2459
Introduced: 7/24/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Policy Area: Health

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: ABLE Employment Flexibility Act
Bill Number: 2459
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced: 7/24/2025
Summary: This bill would allow physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare, without needing extra supervision from physical or occupational therapists. It also requires a study on how this affects rural areas.

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would allow physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare, without needing extra supervision from physical or occupational therapists. It also requires a study on how this affects rural areas.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Enabling More of the Physical and Occupational Workforce to Engage in Rehabilitation Act or the EMPOWER Act This bill prohibits the supervision requirements for physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants for covered outpatient services under Medicare from being different from supervision requirements under state law. The Government Accountability Office must report on the impact of Medicare payment differentials for such services in rural areas.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Allows physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants to provide more outpatient services under Medicare without extra supervision
Requires a government report on how this impacts Medicare payment and access to services in rural areas
Aims to increase the workforce available to provide rehabilitation services to Medicare patients

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If this bill becomes law, it would make it easier for physical and occupational therapy assistants to provide services to Medicare patients, potentially increasing access to these important rehabilitation services. This could particularly benefit Medicare patients in rural areas who may have limited access to therapists. The bill's study on rural impacts would also help policymakers understand how this change affects Medicare coverage in those communities.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Health

Related Subjects

Congressional oversight

Government studies and investigations

Health care coverage and access

Health personnel

Home and outpatient care

Medicare

Rural conditions and development

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

2459, 119th Congress (2025). "ABLE Employment Flexibility Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-2459

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