February 3, 2026 (AUSTIN, Texas) –– Today’s passage of the government funding plan provides long-term stability for hospital-at-home programs, an essential component of modern healthcare delivery.
The appropriations package extends the authority for hospital-at-home programs through 2030, the longest extension authorized to date.
“Teaching and public hospitals have long advocated for stability for hospital-at-home programs,” said Maureen Milligan, PhD, president and CEO, Teaching Hospitals of Texas. “What were once viewed as a temporary means of extending inpatient capacity during the pandemic have become an enduring, highly effective, and sought after alternative to traditional inpatient care. The five-year extension is welcome news.”
Teaching Hospitals of Texas developed a profile series of three member hospitals’ Hospital at Home programs, deployed to deliver high-quality, cost-effective inpatient care in patients’ homes, expand inpatient care capacity, and reduce emergency department boarding.
The Hospital at Home profiles include:
- University Health: Launched in July 2021, the hospital’s program has cared for about 4,000 inpatients, including oncology and post-partum patients, in their homes.
- Harris Health: Since early 2024, the Hospital at Home program has cared for nearly 330 seriously ill patients in their homes.
- Parkland Health: Implemented in April 2022, Parkland’s program has cared for more than 1,000 hospital-at-home patients.
Profiles of the Hospital at Home programs are available here.
As of September 2025, more than 400 hospitals in 39 states had CMS’ permission to provide home-based acute medical care through Hospital at Home programs. Started during the pandemic to meet the need for increased inpatient capacity, the program has continued through a series of Congressional re-authorizations in 2022, 2024, and again in March and November 2025. House Bill 1890, 89th Legislature, created state authority for hospital-at-home programs.
“While the five-year extension doesn’t completely end cyclical program risk of expiration and care disruptions, it does inject much-needed predictability and stability for these vital programs, and we are grateful to the Texas Congressional delegation for appreciating the value of hospital-at-home,” added Milligan.
