What’s happening: Congress has until March 8 to negotiate a potential health care package that could include Medicare site-neutral payment cuts, which are also being considered in several other bills.
What else to know: CHA opposes the cuts and continues to inform the California congressional delegation of the proposals’ harmful impacts.
In addition to a potential health care package in early March, Congress is considering several bills that would reduce payment for services provided in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and disproportionately harm access to care for vulnerable communities. CHA strongly opposes these cuts and encourages Congress to reject any calls for additional site-neutral payment policies.
Harmful proposals being considered include:
- The Lower Cost, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378) — which would result in a cut to hospitals of $3.7 billion over 10 years
- Starting in 2025, and phased in over four years, drug administration services furnished in grandfathered, off-campus HOPDs would be paid at a site-neutral rate.
- This measure passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support in December 2023.
- The Site-based Invoicing and Transparency Enhancement Act (S. 1869) — which would result in a cut to hospitals of $34.3 billion over 10 years
- Starting in 2025, this would impose site-neutral payment cuts for items and services in grandfathered, off-campus HOPDs.
- The Medicare Patient Access to Cancer Treatment (MPACT) Act (H.R. 4473) — which would result in a cut to hospitals of $11.8 billion over 10 years
- Starting in 2025, services related to cancer diagnoses and treatments at off-campus HOPDs would be paid at a site-neutral rate.
CHA encourages members to call or email their representative and tell them that Medicare site-neutral legislation jeopardizes access to care for patients and communities.
