Medicare Stability for Patients and Providers Act

Bill: 117-hr-6048
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]
Introduced: 2021-11-18
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2021-11-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-11-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Medicare Stability for Patients and Providers Act</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing the clinical labor price updates in a specified rule that was issued on November 19, 2021, relating to the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2022. The CMS must also analyze and report on information relating to the physician fee schedule in general, including whether it has accurately reflected medical inflation or should be reformed.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6048 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 18, 2021 Mr. Rush (for himself and Mr. Bilirakis ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from taking certain actions with respect to the clinical labor price, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Medicare Stability for Patients and Providers Act . 2. Prohibiting implementation of certain labor price updates under the 2022 physician fee schedule; report (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall maintain clinical labor prices under the 2022 physician fee schedule and not take any action to implement, finalize, or enforce the clinical labor price updates of the final rule published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 19, 2021, entitled Medicare Program; CY 2022 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Provider Enrollment Regulation Updates; Provider and Supplier Prepayment and Post-Payment Medical Review Requirements . (b) Report Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report on the physician fee schedule under the Medicare program under section 1848 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395w–4 ), including— (1) an analysis of provider reimbursement under such physician fee schedule and whether or not such reimbursement has sufficiently taken into account medical inflation over the last 20 years; (2) an analysis of whether significant annual changes in provider reimbursement are a cause of site-of-service migration and disruptions in patient access and cost-sharing; and (3) based on paragraphs (1) and (2), recommendations for reforming such fee schedule to minimize significant annual changes in provider reimbursement and appropriately account for inflation updates.