Among other priorities, McDaniel discussed the ongoing efforts to continue advocating for Medicare reimbursement. She said it is unfortunate the physician fee schedule is the only Medicare fee schedule not linked to inflation, and that the ACR is trying constantly to rectify that. She said progress is slow but the ACR is working on a bill, and she is hopeful some progress will be made on this in 2026. Specifically, the ACR seeks to increase reimbursement through the physician fee schedule by repealing sequestration cuts, repealing the balanced budget requirement and updating the physician fee schedule annually for inflation per the MEI.
McDaniel also discussed advocacy efforts to protect the 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) payment updates and recognition of the values of these services through frequent evaluations. In addition, the ACR is working with a medical specialty coalition and majority party Doctor’s Caucus on introducing legislation in 2026 to secure appropriate Medicare reimbursement and actually raise reimbursement rates, which have declined since 2020.
Another priority: vaccine access. Given clear signs of a government shift toward limiting vaccine access and away from science-based vaccine policy, McDaniel said the ACR has written a new policy statement explicitly stating the ACR supports vaccines for school-age children and immunocompromised patients and their close contacts. The policy statement also explicitly states the ACR supports payers covering the costs of vaccine access for these groups. In an earlier statement this year, the ACR stated the American public can have confidence in vaccines. The ACR has also communicated with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and urged the Senate Finance committee to pose questions about the state of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during Secretary Kennedy’s testimony.
State Policy Updates
Joseph Cantrell, JD, director of State Affairs and Community Relations for the ACR, discussed advocacy for the same issues at the state level. He first noted the large amount of anti-vaccination legislation seen in state governments this legislative session. Currently, he said, 20 states propose to reduce the uptake of the vaccines by expanding non-medical exceptions or implementing “safety warnings” based on non-scientific data. Last year, the ACR saw anti-vaccine legislation in just four states. In one big win on this front, the ACR joined with the Arthritis Foundation to challenge a Florida proposal to eliminate vaccine requirements for children in public schools. That policy has been walked back because of the combined efforts of patient and provider groups.
