Sen. Joe Manchin walks in Capitol Hill after a vote on Nov. 4.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) walks after a vote on Capitol Hill on Nov. 4, 2021, in Washington, DC. Credit: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

A key senator reportedly has lent his political muscle to the Choose Home Care Act of 2021: Joe Manchin (D-WV).

“Sen. Joe Manchin signed onto Choose Home yesterday,” Keith Myers, chairman and CEO of LHC Group, said Friday at the Stephens Investment Conference. “That’s a really big deal.”

With Manchin, a conservative Democrat who has been a swing vote on major bills, the legislation has the support of another Senate heavyweight. Others include Sen. Deb Stabenow (D-MI) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

“I’m high on it,” Myers said of the bill. “The only people who oppose it are the nursing home industry.”

The legislation, which also has been introduced in the House of Representatives, would allow Medicare patients to receive home care services as an add-on for 30 days following a hospital stay. The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living oppose the legislation because they believe it would supplant existing benefits, create duplicative payments and leave patients vulnerable to poor care.