Ask Your Representative to Sign the Bera-Bucshon Medicare Payment Letter

Reps.  Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), and Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), have circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter to other members of Congress, asking them to join their letter to congressional leadership urging the establishment of a stable Medicare payment mechanism. The lawmakers call for reforms to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that appropriately pay providers for health outcomes.

The Society is asking its members to take action now by urging their representative to sign on to the Bucshon/Bera letter.

While the goal of MACRA was to shift the Medicare payment system to one that pays providers based on quality, value, and the results of care delivered rather than the number of services provided, it has been plagued with challenges since its inception in 2015.

Incentive payments encouraging Medicare providers to participate in advanced alternative payment models (APMs) are temporary and underutilized. Furthermore, the thresholds to qualify for APM incentives and future payment adjustments are not workable for all providers and risk steep increases under current law. Additionally, the cuts to physician payment year after year under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) contribute to practice consolidation and growing financial instability.

The Bucshon/Bera letter emerged because of stakeholder concerns raised in response to the two lawmakers' Request for Information (RFI) on MACRA. By signing on to this letter, other lawmakers can share these concerns so steps can be taken to ensure long-term reform.

Ask your representatives to sign on to the Bera-Bucshon letter.