H.R. 9693: Patients First Act of 2026

What it does

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Patients First Act of 2026

This bill modifies payments and incentive programs under the Medicare physician fee schedule.

The bill establishes a temporary program to provide hybrid payments for certain primary care services. Under the program, payments for services relating to care management, behavioral health integration, office-based evaluation and management (including telehealth), and communications (e.g., phone calls) are made on a monthly basis to providers for each individual that is attributed to the provider's practice. The monthly amount is based on the national average amount for such services. Providers may opt into the model; in order to qualify, providers must be owned or controlled by health care practitioners and must have had the majority of their prior year's payments consist of payments for the covered services.

The bill also renames the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and modifies the program to include performance measures relating to care efficiency (e.g., reducing avoidable hospitalizations). (MIPS is an incentive program under Medicare that allows health professionals to receive payment adjustments based on certain performance measures.) The bill generally reduces the program's performance-based payment adjustments, including positive adjustments for providers that are not owned or controlled by health care practitioners.

Finally, the bill allows for larger annual adjustments to the Medicare physician fee schedule and bases these adjustments on inflation. It also requires certain corrections to compensate for expenditures under the fee schedule that exceed a certain amount in a given year, and it limits how much certain adjustment factors may vary each year.

Official summary by the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Jul 15, 2026).

Our plain-language breakdown, with what it means for you and the case for and against, is written once a bill starts to move.

What has happened

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2026-07-15Introduced in HouseLibrary of Congress

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Cosponsors

Rep. Brian Babin R-TX-36
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán D-CA-44
Rep. Ami Bera D-CA-6
Rep. Sheri Biggs R-SC-3
Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis R-FL-12
Rep. Sanford D. Bishop D-GA-2
Rep. Nikki Budzinski D-IL-13
Rep. Janelle S. Bynum D-OR-5
Rep. Salud O. Carbajal D-CA-24
Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter R-GA-1
Rep. Troy A. Carter D-LA-2
Rep. Judy Chu D-CA-28
Rep. Herbert C. Conaway D-NJ-3
Rep. J. Luis Correa D-CA-46
Rep. Sharice Davids D-KS-3
Rep. Suzan K. DelBene D-WA-1
Rep. Scott DesJarlais R-TN-4
Rep. Maxine Dexter D-OR-3
Rep. Debbie Dingell D-MI-6
Rep. Neal P. Dunn R-FL-2
Rep. Brad Finstad R-MN-1
Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick R-PA-1
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher D-TX-7
Rep. James Gallagher R-CA-1
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez D-TX-34
Rep. Maggie Goodlander D-NH-2
Rep. Andy Harris R-MD-1
Rep. Diana Harshbarger R-TN-1
Rep. Ashley Hinson R-IA-2
Rep. Erin Houchin R-IN-9
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan D-PA-6
Rep. William R. Keating D-MA-9
Rep. Robin L. Kelly D-IL-2
Rep. Timothy M. Kennedy D-NY-26
Rep. Mike Kennedy R-UT-3
Rep. Darin LaHood R-IL-16
Rep. Greg Landsman D-OH-1
Rep. Mike Levin D-CA-49
Rep. Zoe Lofgren D-CA-18
Rep. Sarah McBride D-DE-At Large
Rep. Richard McCormick R-GA-7
Rep. Daniel Meuser R-PA-9
Rep. Carol D. Miller R-WV-1
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks R-IA-1
Rep. Tim Moore R-NC-14
Rep. Joseph D. Morelle D-NY-25
Rep. Kelly Morrison D-MN-3
Rep. Gregory F. Murphy R-NC-3
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC-At Large
Rep. Robert F. Onder R-MO-3
Rep. Jimmy Panetta D-CA-20
Rep. Scott H. Peters D-CA-50
Rep. Mark Pocan D-WI-2
Rep. Josh Riley D-NY-19
Rep. John H. Rutherford R-FL-5
Rep. Kim Schrier D-WA-8
Rep. Terri A. Sewell D-AL-7
Rep. Eric Sorensen D-IL-17
Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi D-NY-3
Rep. Shri Thanedar D-MI-13
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson D-MS-2
Rep. Lori Trahan D-MA-3
Rep. Jefferson Van Drew R-NJ-2
Rep. Beth Van Duyne R-TX-24
Rep. Derrick Van Orden R-WI-3
Rep. Gabe Vasquez D-NM-2
Rep. Marc A. Veasey D-TX-33
Rep. James R. Walkinshaw D-VA-11
Rep. Randy K. Sr. Weber R-TX-14