The rules for YOUR future job are being written right now.
There's a bill in Congress about diabetic feet. The whole thing is about billing and paperwork. That's the stuff school barely covers. And you'll live with these rules longer than anyone.
by Peter Sorensen, DPM
The Bill
Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act of 2026
HR 7905 / S 4070Two names, one bill. The House version and the Senate version.
March 12, 2026The day it was introduced.
2 sectionsOne on Medicaid. One on diabetic shoes.
▶ Watch first
The bill, in a short video
A NotebookLM video I made on the Diabetic Foot Bill I advocated for on Capitol Hill.
What it actually does
2
Section 2: Count podiatrists as physicians under Medicaid
Medicaid: the government's health plan for people with low income. (Different from Medicare.)
The federal rule that tells state Medicaid programs who counts as a "physician" currently only names MDs and DOs. This section adds DPMs to that list.
The result: state Medicaid programs have to cover podiatric services on the same terms as MD/DO services. The word for equal treatment is parity.
Starts Jan 1, 2026
Honest note: this idea isn't new. It's been sitting in an older bill called the HELLPP Act for years. This bill just folds it in.
3
Section 3: Fix the diabetic shoe paperwork
Medicare: the government's health plan for people 65 and older.
Medicare pays for special diabetic shoes. These shoes help prevent foot sores and amputations.
To get them paid for today, the rules have always made two doctors sign off. That's the bottleneck. This section lets one physician handle the whole attestation.
That one physician confirms three things: the patient has a qualifying problem (like neuropathy, deformity, or past ulcers), has diabetes and a care plan, and needs the shoes.
Starts Jan 1, 2028
Small print (3(b)): a short add-on puts diabetic shoes on the Stark Law list, which limits self-referral. It adds a restriction, not a shortcut. The bill doesn't say why. Read the APMA redline for that.
Why a student should care
You have the most years to lose or gain
An attending might practice 10 more years. You'll practice 30+. These rules hit you the hardest and the longest.
The whole bill is billing and paperwork
School spends almost no time on this. Learn how billing works now and you start your career ahead of most people around you.
This is how the profession really works
A small group of people writing one bill can shape your whole career. That's why APMA (the American Podiatric Medical Association, the group that lobbies for podiatrists) matters. Pay attention to who's in the room.
Who's pushing it
Senate: Sen. Young (Indiana) and Sen. Warnock (Georgia).
House: Reps. Joyce, DeGette, Rulli, Schrier, Kennedy, and Soto.
APMA is publicly behind it and has a side-by-side comparison (a "redline") on its advocacy page.
The 10-second version
The bill has 2 sections. Both are about billing and paperwork.
Section 2 makes states pay podiatrists like other doctors under Medicaid.
Section 3 lets one physician sign off on diabetic shoes instead of two.
You'll work under these rules for 30+ years. That's why advocacy literacy matters now.
Where this comes from
congress.gov — HR 7905 (full bill text)
APMA advocacy page — Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act
Sen. Young press release (March 2026)
Read me first: This is a student study guide about a bill that has not passed yet. It is not legal, billing, or coding advice. Always check the real bill text and APMA's official guidance before you use any of this in practice. Codes and rules change.