On Sept. 13, Reps. Ami Bera, MD, (D-Calif.) and Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-Ind.) introduced the Supporting Medicare Providers Act (H.R. 8800), which would prevent the 4.42% Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cut. The legislation also contains a “Sense of Congress” that urges policymakers to take administrative and legislative actions to:
- Ensure financial stability and predictability in the Medicare physician payment system;
- Promote and reward value-based care innovation; and
- Safeguard timely access to high-quality care by advancing health equity and reducing disparities.
The AANS and the CNS joined several coalition letters supporting the legislation. Click here to read the Surgical Coalition letter, here for the Alliance of Specialty Medicine and here for a physician/non-physician clinician letter.
The AANS and the CNS also joined the American Medical Association (AMA) and more than 120 national specialty and state medical societies in a letter to Congress voicing concern over the mounting financial instability of the Medicare physician payment system. According to an AMA analysis of Medicare Trustees data, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments have been reduced by 20% from 2001–2021. The letter reiterates the physician community’s desire to work with Congress to develop long-term solutions to the systemic problems with the Medicare physician payment system.
To help identify long-term reform options, Reps. Ami Bera, MD, (D-Calif.); Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-Ind); Kim Schrier, MD, (D-Wash.); Michael Burgess, MD, (R-Texas); Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.); Brad Wenstrup, DPM, (R-Ohio); Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, (R-Iowa) are requesting feedback from health care providers and others on actions Congress should take to stabilize the Medicare payment system and ensure value-based care incentives remain in place. The AANS and the CNS will submit comments in response to this request for information (RFI).
Click here to read the letter and here to learn more about Rep. Bera and Bucshon’s RFI.
