Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025

What happened: On December 18, 2025, Rep. Sewell (D-AL) introduced HR 6894, the 'Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025.' The bill amends the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to prescribe exercise, prepare treatment plans, and supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs under Medicare Part B. The bill was referred to both the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees. An identical companion bill (S717) exists in the Senate. The bill has only one cosponsor, Rep. Smith of Nebraska (R-NE), and has seen no further action since referral. The money trail: This bill authorizes zero new funding. It is a scope-of-practice expansion, not an appropriations bill. It does not change Medicare reimbursement rates for rehab services, nor does it increase the number of covered sessions. The mechanism is purely regulatory — it expands the pool of practitioners who can independently manage these programs. Any revenue impact flows from increased patient throughput, not from new direct spending. Structural winners and losers: The primary potential beneficiaries are healthcare staffing firms like AMN Healthcare ($AMN) that place mid-level practitioners. Expanded scope could increase demand for PAs/NPs in outpatient cardiac rehab settings. Labcorp is listed but has minimal direct exposure — the bill does not alter lab testing requirements or coverage. Larger healthcare systems and hospital chains (HCA, THC) could see marginal volume increases if implementation increases patient enrollment, but these effects are small and distant. Real market data context: AMN trades at $20.62, up 12.43% over 30 days but still well below its 52-week high of $23.74. The recent uptrend appears driven by broader healthcare staffing recovery, not HR 6894. LH at $262.99 is down 1.43% over 30 days and 0.31% over 7 days, reflecting sector headwinds unrelated to this bill. Timeline: The bill is in the earliest legislative stage with only one House cosponsor and no committee hearings. Passage probability in the 119th Congress is low given the narrow scope and absence of funding. The identical Senate companion (S717) adds minimal momentum. Procedural hurdles: House committee markup, floor vote, Senate committee, floor vote, and presidential signature remain, all requiring bipartisan cooperation in a divided Congress.