Medicare currently limits inpatient psychiatric hospital stays to 190 days over a patient's lifetime — a cap that applies only to psychiatric facilities and not to general hospitals. The Removing Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Limitations Act of 2026 would eliminate that 190-day cap entirely for Medicare beneficiaries. Older adults and people with disabilities who need extended psychiatric care would no longer face a hard cutoff on covered hospital days. The change would take effect for services provided on or after January 1, 2027.
Congressional Summary
This bill removes the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under Medicare.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-03-12
- Date Added
- 2026-04-10
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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