On February 2, 2021, America’s Physician Groups (APG) joined the coalition of groups calling for the United States Congress to fully extend the Medicare sequester moratorium through the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (currently expected to continue through the end of 2021). The Medicare sequester moratorium is the suspension of the two percent Medicare sequestration payment reductions, a result of federal legislation from 2013.
In the letter, the coalition asks for Congress to include H.R. 315, the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act – bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and David McKinley, P.E. (R-WV-1) – in any future COVID-19 relief package. The legislation as drafted would extend the Medicare sequester moratorium through the end of the PHE.
In closing, the coalition notes that its members “need every resource at our disposal to meet the significant challenges that remain, especially as health care providers continue to endure financial strain caused by the pandemic” and says “Now is not the time to cut Medicare reimbursements that are necessary to providing care to our communities.”
In addition to APG, other signatories on the letter include America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, Healthcare Leadership Council, and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization/Hospice Action Network.
Prior Extension
On December 27, 2020, Congress and former President Donald Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which provided a three-month extension of the Medicare sequester moratorium as originally enacted in the CARES Act (through March 31, 2021). The groups, through the most recent letter, are asking Congress to fully extend the Medicare sequester moratorium through the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
In the initial letter from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (among others), that coalition noted that without the extension of the moratorium, “some providers may not be able to stay afloat especially in rural and underserved areas,” and that “Given the continuing crisis, it is imperative that any future COVID-19 legislative package include resources to address the financial viability of providers, protect patient and staff safety, and mitigate losses to ensure access to care throughout the crisis and into the future.”