Efforts to advance legislation to reverse Medicare payment cuts and adopt long-term reforms continue and remain among neurosurgery’s top advocacy priorities.
A group of 233 Representatives sent a bipartisan letter urging Congressional Leadership to pass a bill providing physicians and other clinicians with a payment update that takes into account the cost of actually delivering care to patients. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Washington Office issued a press release expressing support for the Congressional effort to prevent Medicare payment cuts.
Subsequently, a group of bipartisan House members introduced legislation, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024 (H.R.10073), which would eliminate the upcoming 2.8% Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) cut and provide an inflationary update for calendar year 2025. On Oct. 30, the AANS/CNS Washington Office issued a press release expressing support for the bill. The Alliance of Specialty Medicine sent a letter of support to bipartisan House sponsors of the bill. The letter highlights the importance of stabilizing Medicare reimbursements to ensure financial sustainability for medical practices, protect patient access and address systemic issues within the Medicare payment system.
On Nov. 15, 78 national medical societies and 51 state medical associations united to urge Congress to pass the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act before the conclusion of the 118th Congress. The letter emphasizes the urgency of addressing these cuts during the lame-duck session, noting that failure to act will exacerbate financial pressures on already strained practices. The proposed legislation, supported by bipartisan lawmakers, offers a temporary solution by providing modest inflationary adjustments and creating a pathway for broader Medicare payment reforms in the next Congress. On Nov. 27, the AANS/CNS Washington Office issued a press release urging Congress to pass the legislation and protect Medicare patients and physician practices before year-end.
Thanks to pressure from both House and Senate chambers, congressional leaders expedited the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide a preliminary estimate of the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. According to CBO, the temporary fix would cost $2.163 billion over 10 years to eliminate the 2.8% cut. It is currently being considered for an anticipated end-of-year temporary spending bill.
On Nov. 21, a group of 41 Senators sent a bipartisan letter to leadership urging them to address the 2.8% cut in the MPFS and pass long-term bipartisan solutions to the beleaguered payment system.
