Immanuel Advocates Newsletter - November

November 3, 2026, is Election Day. Don’t forget to vote. The Voting Plan found here might be helpful. To check your voter registration status, your mail-in or absentee ballot status, or your poll location for Tuesday, there’s always the Secretary of State’s Office to consult in Iowa and Nebraska. You can also find these things easily here, as well:

Nebraska Voter Information Lookup
Voter Ready: Iowa

As always on election day, election workers have a list of registered voters. If you have the wrong polling place or, for some other reason, an election worker tells you that you cannot vote at that location, double-check the websites above to find your correct precinct. In addition, help lines are available to make sure your vote counts, or at least help you understand why if you aren’t able to vote. You can always call this national help line for assistance and clarification:

National Voters hotline on Election Day: 1-866-687-8683

Federal Government Update

The U.S. House and Senate are due back in session on November 9, less than a week after the election. The most immediate deadline facing them is December 11, 2026, when the current continuing resolution (CR) on the federal budget expires. This is the time of year when the headlines start buzzing about government shutdowns, but we’ll keep a close watch. 

The newly elected members of Congress will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

Follow a bill in Congress!

Come alongside us as we track one bill introduced in Congress earlier this fall. Immanuel’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) is an innovative healthcare program that originated in San Francisco, where the community wanted to care for its seniors close to home. This concept grew and captured the attention of the federal government through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Almost all participants in our PACE® programs in Nebraska and Iowa rely on both Medicare and Medicaid to afford their care.

Our friends at the National PACE Association (NPA) have tracked the changes needed in the federal laws and regulations that authorize PACE® programs across the country, including here at Immanuel. With government relations staff on “The Hill” in DC, NPA staff were instrumental in securing sponsors for a bill to improve access to PACE®.

For now, the bipartisan PACE® Access Improvement Act would:

•    Expand PACE® nationwide by making it a mandatory Medicaid benefit, similar to nursing facility care.
•    Enable PACE® enrollment at any time.
•    Streamline PACE® applications and approvals.
•    Improve marketing outreach to prospective PACE® participants.

Today, approximately 96% of Americans who could benefit from PACE® don’t have access to it. The bipartisan PACE® Access Improvement Act would help close that gap. Immanuel staff have attended national conferences where the bill has been discussed, and as we’ll learn through this bill following process, exact language and definitions will be critical to the effectiveness of any changes to the PACE® program.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments.

Tara Muir, JD, Advocacy & Government Relations Coordinator | 402-829-2931 office | 402-871-4979 cell | tmuir@immanuel.com

Click here to read November's Immanuel Advocates newsletter.