What is the SAFE Act and Why it Matters for Older Adults at Home?

What is the SAFE Act and Why it Matters for Older Adults at Home?

Falls are one of the biggest threats to health especially at home. But what if Medicare helped prevent them before they happen and reduced the risk of dangerous pain medications too? That’s the goal of a new bill in Congress called the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly Act, or the SAFE Act. Let’s break down what this bill does, why it matters, and how it could impact older adults and caregivers at home.

🚨 The Problem: Falls and Opioids

Every year, about 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older experience a fall. Many of these falls lead to emergency room visits, hospital stays, long-term pain, and often prescriptions for opioids. While opioids can help with pain, they also bring serious risks like sedation, confusion, addiction, or even more falls. The cycle can be hard to break.

🏛️ The Solution: What the SAFE Act Proposes

The SAFE Act (H.R. 1171 / S. 2612) is a bipartisan bill that takes a preventive, practical approach to reducing falls and limiting opioid use. If passed the bill would:

1. Include Physical and Occupational Therapists in Medicare Wellness Visits

If a Medicare beneficiary reports a fall in the past year during their Annual Wellness Visit with their physician, the SAFE Act would allow Medicare to:

✅ Refer them to a physical therapist (PT) or occupational therapist (OT)
✅ Cover a fall risk assessment and prevention services
✅ Do it at no extra cost to the patient

This is a game-changer especially for people receiving care at home who may not know they qualify for these services.

2. Expand the “Welcome to Medicare” Visit

The initial preventive visit (the one you get when you first join Medicare) would also include fall screening. If you’ve fallen in the past year, you could be referred to a PT or OT right away instead of waiting for another injury to happen.

3. Require Annual Reporting on Falls & Pain Management

The Department of Health and Human Services would report yearly data to Congress on how many older adults report falling, the kinds of injuries or pain they experience and if opioids are prescribed after the fall. Over time this will help lawmakers track what’s working and what’s not.

🏠 What This Means for People Receiving Care at Home

If you or someone you care for receives caregiver services at home, here’s why the SAFE Act matters:

✅ Easier Access to Fall Prevention

Instead of waiting until after a fall, your care team could proactively connect you with a PT or OT to assess your home, strength, mobility and other factors that may contribute to your fall risk.

✅ Safer Pain Management Options

Therapists can provide non-drug pain treatments like exercises, positioning tips, or adaptive equipment potentially reducing the need for opioids.

✅ Covered by Medicare

These assessments and prevention services would be fully covered under Medicare — no co-pays or out-of-pocket charges when triggered by a fall history.

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📅 When Would It Start?

If the SAFE Act becomes law, these changes would take effect January 1, 2026. While the SAFE Act hasn’t passed yet, you can take action today by asking your doctor or caregiver about your risk of falling, scheduling your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and contacting your members of Congress to voice support for the SAFE Act. The American Physical Therapy Association has created the APTA Patient Action Center to make it easy to voice your opinion to members of Congress. Click the link below to be taken to a templated letter that you can fill in and send to your Congress Member representative.  https://www.apta.org/advocacy/take-action/patient-action-center

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