capitol hill report: MEDICARE CLIFF: WILL CONGRESS SAVE US—OR PUSH US OVER?

October 25, 2021

Latest Advocacy News

• The AAN sent a letter endorsing the Bringing Regulatory Advances into Neuroscience (BRAIN) Act (H.R. 5435), which would establish a Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the FDA.
• A majority of the House of Representatives (227 members) have now cosponsored the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173), a priority bill supported by the AAN to address prior authorization burden. Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and John Thune (R-SD) have also recently introduced a Senate version of the bill. This overwhelming bipartisan and bicameral support makes a bold statement to congressional leadership that this bill must move this year.
• The AAN joined a letter led by the AMA urging the administration to address unfair business practices with respect to electronic payments in health care.
• The AAN joined a letter with other medical specialties to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees opposing a proposed reduction in military medical billets by 12,801 positions and urging the committees to prohibit such reductions for a year and require a GAO study before any reductions move forward.

Issue In Focus

Lawmakers Highlight Need to Avert Medicare Cliff

While Congress has become more partisan over the years, many of the AAN’s top priorities unite Congress rather than divide it. The most recent example was a letter by US Reps. Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), expressing concern and urging action to address the upcoming "Medicare Cliff," which is scheduled to reduce physician reimbursements by 9.75 percent on January 1 without congressional intervention. With the support of the AAN’s advocacy efforts, their letter garnered 247 signors, a majority the House of Representatives, a truly amazing feat.

This looming cut is the result of three policies created by Congress, which are discussed in more detail here. The AAN, working in collaboration with the entire House of Medicine, have urged Congress to avert the Medicare Cliff as soon as possible. AAN staff are discussing this issue with policy makers at every opportunity and hundreds of Academy members raised this issue during congressional office visits during Neurology on the Hill and the recent AAN Legislative Summit.

The trillion-dollar reconciliation legislation being debated by Democrats in Congress does not currently include a resolution to this issue, which means the next opportunity to fix this will likely be in December as part of a large year-end bill containing numerous provisions. We need to keep the pressure on Congress to address this issue, which will have disastrous consequences if not averted. Help us keep the pressure on Congress—urge your lawmakers to prioritize this issue using the AAN’s Advocacy Action Center.

What We're Reading

• Much Adu(helm) about nothing: New Alzheimer’s drug threatens state Medicaid budgets (Stat)
• NIH BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network meets its first major goal (NIH)
• Physicians are spending more time in EHR inboxes, exacerbating burnout, study says (Becker’s Hospital Review)