capitol hill report: Inching Closer to the Medicare Cliff
December 6, 2021
Latest Advocacy News
- The AAN submitted official comments on November 23 in response to the Interim Final Rule outlining the requirements published by multiple federal agencies related to surprise billing. This is the second regulation implementing the No Surprises Act passed by Congress late last year. While the AAN is generally supportive of this rule, these comments reflect certain elements of the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process that we feel should be adjusted to ensure equity between payers and providers while still protecting patients. The AAN will continue to monitor this issue.
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The AAN joined a letter urging Congress to include $30 million for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program in the final Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill.
- Congress once again passed a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown, which continues existing funding levels for the federal government into 2022. Bipartisan agreement is required to increase funding levels for the 2022 fiscal year—which began October 1—but so far congressional leaders have been far apart in their negotiations. The AAN will continue to advocate for a bipartisan compromise that provides strong funding for medical research and care for American’s veterans with neurologic conditions.
- AAN leaders met with key Senate offices last week to reinforce the AAN’s support for key provisions in the Build Back Better Act and to advocate for changes to eliminate potential future reductions to in-office administered drugs in Medicare Part B.
- AAN staff represented the Academy at a recent meeting of the VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence National Peer Review Committee.
Issue In Focus
Only 26 days remain before the looming Medicare Cliff would go into effect, reducing physician Medicare reimbursement by 9.75 percent on January 1, 2022. The AAN has long argued that a reduction of this magnitude would be catastrophic for the viability of neurology practices around the country and patient access to care.
Throughout 2021, the AAN has urged Congress to fix this unsustainable policy, including at Neurology on the Hill and the Legislative Summit, but recently the Academy has stepped up efforts even further, alongside the rest of the health care community. Last week, 308 national and state organizations sent a letter to congressional leadership urging action on this issue. Additionally, two prominent physicians in the House of Representatives recently introduced the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021 (H.R. 6020), which would address part of the Medicare Cliff.
A fix for the Medicare Cliff is being discussed at the highest levels in Congress. The AAN will be working with the entire health care community to avert the Medicare Cliff, including passing into law H.R. 6020 before the end of the year. Please help us by urging your member of Congress to support H.R. 6020 today!
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