The ACR has long advocated for Congress to act on meaningful reforms to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)—and it seems legislators are finally listening. Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), along with Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Angus King (I-Maine), Roger Marshall, MD (R-Kans.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), are leading efforts to protect access to Medicare services by reforming the MPFS with the introduction of the Physician Fee Stabilization Act (S. 4935).
This bipartisan legislation would help to alleviate the annual uncertainty providers face surrounding Medicare reimbursement rates by raising the budget neutrality threshold from $20 million to $53 million. The bill is a Senate companion to Rep. Greg Murphy’s (R-N.C.) House legislation, the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (H.R. 6371), and is a crucial step toward enacting this change.
Annual cuts to physician reimbursement have negative impacts on access to care by some of our nation’s most vulnerable patients. Reforming Medicare reimbursement is crucial to ensuring that the program is dependable for physicians and patients now and in the future. Use the ACR’s Legislative Action Center to urge your lawmakers to Medicare physician reimbursement reform today.
