Action Alert: New legislation: HR 6020 & HR 5536 — Avert the 3.75% cut to MPFS and delay 15% cut to PTAs/OTAs!

The Supporting Medicare Providers Act (H.R. 6020) is a new bill in the House of Representatives. This bipartisan bill seeks to extend additional funding to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for another year in order to avert the 3.75% conversion factor cut that is scheduled for January 1, 2022.

Last year, Congress took action by infusing an additional $3 billion into the Medicare fee schedule to offset the conversion factor reduction. We need to ask them to do it again!

Another bipartisan bill, H.R. 5536, the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy (SMART) Act, is also getting some attention. This bill delays the implementation of the 15% therapy assistant differential by one year so that it won’t go into effect until January 1, 2023; it exempts PTAs and OTAs who provide care in rural or medically underserved areas from the 15% differential completely; and removes Medicare’s direct supervision requirement and allows for supervision to be determined at the state level (currently 44 states allow for general supervision of PTAs and OTAs in all setting types).

Alpha Lillstrom Cheng, our legislative consultant, tells us that 247 Representatives have already signed a letter in support of extending the 3.75% payment adjustment. Now legislation has been introduced to do just that. Check and see if your Representative signed the letter. 

Please reach out to your Representatives and ask them to cosponsor both the Supporting Medicare Providers Act (H.R. 6020) and the SMART Act (H.R. 5536).

Take action now by going to the PTPN Political Action website and asking your legislators to support these bills in the House and introduce one in the Senate.

Together we can make a difference.