In-home IVIG Demonstration Program to be extended through 2023

Last night, Congress passed a massive piece of legislation to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year and provide COVID-related funding and COVID relief to individuals and businesses. Included in this large package is a provision that would extend the Medicare In-Home IVIG Demonstration Project for another three years, to the end of 2023. Without this act of Congress, the demonstration was scheduled to expire at the end of this month. Now, patients on the IVIG In-Home Demonstration Project will be able to continue to receive their benefits for at least three more years.  

The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) applauds its bipartisan congressional champions, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), for their dedication to including this important provision in the year-end legislation. This extension would not have been achieved without them, nor without the efforts of IDF and our passionate community advocates, who worked together to urge Congress to pass this vital piece of legislation. 

Now that Congress has passed the bill, the President is expected to sign it into law before the year ends. Included in the legislation: 

• Extension of the demonstration project through the end of 2023. 
• Requirement that CMS provide a report to Congress on the outcomes of the demo within two years of passage of this legislation, such that the demonstration can be analyzed before it expires again in 2023. 
• An expansion of the cap on beneficiaries from 4,000 to 6,500 to ensure that everyone with primary immunodeficiency (PI) who is eligible may enroll. 

In addition to safeguarding in-home IVIG access for Medicare beneficiaries with PI, the end-of-year legislative package also includes language from the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusions Act, ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries with PI will have continued access to all subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) products and services. The included section removes a barrier to coverage for Ig therapies designated as a self-administered drug (SAD) in local coverage determinations (LCD) by a Medicare Administrative Contractor.