WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, March 17, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Implementation of Medicare Payment Reforms."
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 was the bipartisan product of a multi-year effort to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula which was a flawed payment system that required Congress to repeatedly implement temporary fixes for over a decade. Permanently fixing the formula and protecting seniors’ access to their Medicare physicians had been a top priority for the Energy and Commerce Committee.
A bipartisan and bicameral agreement was formed around the policy to repeal and replace the SGR, and coupled with a package of health related provisions including Medicare extenders, an extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare savings that were together merged into MACRA. The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers last year, and was signed into law on April 16, 2015.
Nearly one year later, subcommittee members will have the opportunity to dialogue with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the primary agency instituting these changes, about the Medicare payment reforms contained within MACRA, how the process is going, and to discuss the work CMS is doing to encourage value based payments that would qualify as an eligible alternative payment model.
“Repealing the SGR formula was a major victory for seniors, for doctors, and for taxpayers," said Chairman Pitts. “Next week’s hearing will give our members an opportunity to conduct a check-up on how the new payment changes are going, review the steps CMS has already taken to engage stakeholders, and learn what to expect as CMS implements the new law."
The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted. Related Items
* Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: Examining Implementation of Medicare Payment Reforms
