capitol hill report: PHYSICIAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STEM MEDICARE REDUCTIONS
September 26, 2022
Latest Advocacy News
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The AAN worked with US Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) and Morgan Griffith (R-Virginia) to introduce a resolution recognizing September 15, 2022, as National Brain Health Day in conjunction with the AAN’s inaugural Brain Health Summit.
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H.R. 3173, Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, was a priority during Neurology on the Hill this year, and we are excited to announce it has passed the House of Representatives! This bill has become one of the broadest, most bipartisan health care legislation on Capitol Hill, garnering support from over half of Congress. Thank your representative today for passing this legislation through the House!
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New legislation was introduced last week to reauthorize the CDC’s National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System (NNCSS) program, which collects privacy-protected data on neurologic conditions to inform research and help advance better treatments and cures. AAN President Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, was quoted in support of the legislation here, which is being led by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in collaboration with the AAN, National MS Society, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Issue in Focus
Medicare physician reimbursements are once again facing a significant reduction if Congress does not act by the end of the year. Specifically, Medicare payments are slated for a 8.42-percent reduction due to the convergence of several factors, including the expiration of a temporary relief program (three percent), a proposed budget neutrality adjustment from the most recent physician fee schedule (1.42 percent), and cuts that would be triggered by the PAYGO scorecard (four percent) that impact many other constituencies beyond health care.
Fortunately, two physicians in Congress, Drs. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN), recently introduced new legislation, H.R. 8800, the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022, to eliminate all the payment reductions that are specific to the health care sector. View more details on this legislation and read the AAN's support letter. The AAN is also expecting to see separate legislation soon from other health care leaders in Congress that would provide an inflationary update for physician practices, which is critical, especially in a high inflationary environment.
This legislation also contains an important acknowledgment of the need for considerable structural reforms to ensure financial stability and predictability in the Medicare physician payment system. The AAN has deep concerns about the mounting financial instability of the Medicare physician payment system. This instability is due to many factors including the determinantal impacts of budget neutrality, the lack of inflationary updates, significant administrative barriers, and the cumulative impact of the pandemic. While these challenges are significant, they are not insurmountable. The American Medical Association’s “Characteristics of a Rational Medicare Payment System” provide an outline of potential future reforms focused on increasing simplicity, relevance, alignment, and predictability. Reps. Bera and Bucshon, plus several others, recently issued a request for information on the topic of broader structural reforms to Medicare payments, to which the AAN will be submitting comments.
Enacting H.R. 8800 and other relief in the short term, while simultaneously advocating for structural reforms in the new Congress, will be a top priority for the AAN for the remainder of 2022.