MACRA Summary / Timeline From AMA HR 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015” or “MACRA,” was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 26 (by a vote of 392 to 37) and the Senate on April 14 (by a vote of 92 to 8), and signed into law on April 16, 2015. This bipartisan legislation permanently repeals the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and stabilizes Medicare payments for physician services with positive updates from July 1, 2015, through the end of 2019, and again in 2026 and beyond. It ... May 8, 2015 MACRA, Medicare, SGR MACRA, SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
U.S. House Passes Monumental SGR Reform in Landslide Vote — Bill Goes to Senate CMA Applauds U.S. House of Representatives for Passing Monumental Medicare-CHIP Reform in Landslide Vote, Urges U.S. Senate to Act Swiftly Today, March 26, the California Medical Association (CMA) congratulates the U.S. House of Representatives for passing monumental Medicare reform and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension, and urgently asks their colleagues in the Senate to do the same before spring recess. The 392–37 vote clearly shows that now is the time to make Medicare reform a reality. The legislation, HR 2, known as the “The Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” ... March 26, 2015 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
SGR Update and Timeline (From AMA) Today [March 24], the Medicare physician payment reform legislation was modified to include budget offsets, policy extenders, and other provisions, and reintroduced by Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) as HR 2, the “Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act” (MACRA). Click here for a section-by-section analysis prepared by staff of the House committees of jurisdiction. The new bill (which replaces HR 1470, introduced last week) builds on the bipartisan, bicameral SGR replacement policy negotiated last year. Additional provisions of interest include the following: The work GPCI floor was extended ... March 24, 2015 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
The SGR: Here We Go Again … ! On the heels of one of the most maddening congressional sessions in history, angry yet determined CMA physician leaders will return to Washington, DC, to once again push Congress to pass the bipartisan, bicameral Medicare SGR repeal and payment reform legislation. This last Congress has been appropriately labeled “The Worst Congress Ever” for their permanent state of acrimony and lack of productivity, which has brought them, the Medicare program, and even the United States government to the brink of collapse. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, well-respected congressional scholars, have opined ... February 6, 2015 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
Senate Votes to Stop the 24% Medicare SGR Payment Cut Tonight (Monday) the Senate voted 64–35 to adopt HR 4302, the 17th patch to stop the 24% Medicare SGR payment cut for one year until April 2015. The cut was scheduled to take effect tomorrow. The House approved the same bill last week. It will now move to the president’s desk where we expect a signature. Despite Congress’s failure to achieve long-term reform, there is a silver lining for California physicians. HR 4302 includes the following: Stops the Medicare SGR 24% payment cut for one year ... March 31, 2014 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
DON’T PATCH IT, REPEAL IT! Call Congress Now! (800) 833-6354 (Takes 2 Min.) Dear Physicians, CMA needs all physicians to call Congress and tell them to FIX THE MEDICARE SGR NOW! The deadline is March 31, 2014, and Congress is starting to schedule floor votes. To overcome the opposition and political brinksmanship going on in Congress right now, we need a massive number of physicians to call and email Congress. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST GRASSROOTS CALL TO ACTION Here’s the latest from Washington, DC. Later this week, the House Republican leadership has scheduled a vote on the SGR repeal and Medicare payment reform ... March 12, 2014 Medicare, SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
SGR Repeal Act FAQs by AMA SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 — H.R. 4015/S. 2000 © 2014 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Frequently Asked Questions What are some of the key features of the legislation? Many features of this bill represent improvements over current law. Some of the most important include the following: The SGR is permanently repealed, effective immediately. Positive, if modest, payment updates of 0.5 percent are provided for five years, from 2014 to 2018. Physicians in alternative payment models (APMs) receive ... February 24, 2014 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
House, Senate Leaders Introduce SGR Replacement Bill House, Senate Leaders Introduce SGR Replacement Bill Bipartisan, Bicameral Proposal Ends the Cycle of Annual ‘Doc Fix’ Crises, Shifting Medicare to Reward Quality, Efficiency, and Innovation February 6, 2014 By the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-Mich.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and House Energy and ... February 7, 2014 GPCI, Medicare, SGR GPCI, Medicare, SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Applauds Historic Movement of Medicare SGR Payment Reform Legislation Urges a Stable Fix in 2014 The California Medical Association (CMA) is pleased that legislation aimed at repealing the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) was approved in the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee today. This is good news for California physicians, who have been working with both committees to revise the initial draft of the legislation since it was introduced in October. For more than a decade, Medicare’s flawed SGR formula has plagued policymakers and physicians, alike, often calling for reductions in payments to physicians despite ... December 12, 2013 SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
December 11 SGR Update From CMA Bipartisan House-Senate Medicare Payment Reform Legislation Expected to Pass out of Committee This Week Congress Includes Three-month Patch to Stop the 25% SGR Cuts in Budget Deal The Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee this week unveiled revised legislative proposals to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and establish a new payment system. Both committees have said that they expect to “mark up” (i.e., pass out of committee) the legislation on Thursday, December 12. The changes they have made since the initial October “discussion draft” are ... December 12, 2013 CMA, SGR SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »