In March, Congress suspended Medicare sequestration cuts through the end of 2020 under The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This swift Congressional action has helped hospitals manage COVID-19 cases through the warmer months.
However, unless Congress acts, these cuts are scheduled to resume on January 1, 2021. As cases and hospitalizations continue to surge – and are expected to worsen in the coming months, we are calling on Congress to continue supporting hospitals, providers and patients by delaying these cuts through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
As COVID cases hit record-shattering rates in our country, Congress has a duty to support health care providers as they care for their patients. Lawmakers can help by extending the moratorium on Medicare sequestration cuts through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
In the context of the ongoing public health crisis, the return of Medicare sequestration could easily undermine the viability of frontline health care providers as COVID-19 case levels reach new peaks. Congress appropriately acted in March 2020 to suspend Medicare sequester cuts through the end of the year under The CARES Act. But with experts now predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic will persist well into 2021, any reduction in Medicare payments during the public health emergency has the potential to disrupt access to care for patients.
FAH, in coordination with a diverse group of health care organizations, is calling on Congress to put patients first during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The U.S. health care system has faced unprecedented challenges, and the pandemic will continue to place financial burdens on our nation’s caregivers for months to come. Now is not the time to cut vital Medicare payments for our frontline heroes.
Read MoreWe are calling on Congress to continue supporting patients and the health providers who care for them through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
