As Congress and the Biden administration continue to discuss the parameters of potential legislation to invest in our nation’s infrastructure, a broad coalition of more than one million physician and non-physician healthcare providers is urging congressional leaders to include financial provisions to ensure stability and continued beneficiary access to vital healthcare services.
In an April 27 letter to Congress, the coalition outlined the importance of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. The coalition urges lawmakers to provide an additional $3 billion for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to offset expected pay cuts and ensure financial stability for healthcare providers and practices in 2022. By maintaining this level of funding, healthcare providers can maintain focus on patient backlogs and continue to identify effective treatments for patients impacted by long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms.
The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) and coalition partners also are working to identify and address long-term challenges associated with Medicare payment policy, especially the budget neutrality provision that is the cause of threatened cuts. The ACR anticipates continued engagement with Congress about these issues and will provide additional information as it becomes available.