The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) met virtually Jan. 11–12 to prepare several draft recommendations for its March 2024 Report to Congress. MedPAC is a non-partisan, independent legislative branch commission created to advise Congress about Medicare-related issues.
During the session dedicated to assessing payment adequacy and updating payments for physicians and other health services, MedPAC commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that Congress should:
- Update the 2024 Medicare base payment rate for physicians and other health professional services for 2025 by the amount specified in current law, plus 50% of the projected increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
- Enact the commission’s March 2023 recommendation to establish safety-net add-on payments under the Physician Fee Schedule for services delivered to low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
This would result in a one-year cost of $2 billion to $5 billion, and a five-year cost of $10 billion to $25 billion. The recommendation should also maintain beneficiaries’ access to both primary and specialty care and maintain or improve access to care for low-income beneficiaries.
During the next session, assessing payment adequacy and updating payments for hospital inpatient and outpatient services, MedPAC commissioners voted on the following recommendation: Official public comment letters submitted within 14 days following the public meeting will be posted on MedPAC’s website.
For questions, contact Kimberly Greck, American College of Radiology® Senior Economic Policy Analyst.