ASA Endorses Adding Inflation Adjustment to Medicare Physician Payments

ASA has joined with other state and specialty medical organizations to endorse H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. This bipartisan legislation seeks to add a mandatory annual inflation update to Medicare physician payments.  While other sectors of Medicare, including hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, have long enjoyed annual inflation adjustments, Medicare payments for physicians have lacked any type of similar mandatory update.  As a result, Medicare physician payments have continued to fall behind, especially in periods of high inflation. ASA applaud Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) for their leadership on this important proposal.