Congress is back in Washington, D.C., and one of their top priorities is the budget reconciliation package–a fast-track method to pass the federal budget. Beginning today, behind closed doors, the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees are working to craft the language of the reconciliation package and find $880 billion in savings. Although several policy options are under consideration, analysts agree that it is nearly impossible to achieve these savings without making significant changes to Medicaid, putting patient access and physician reimbursement at serious risk.
The path forward presents difficult choices. The time to act is now because some proposals involve lowering the federal funding match rate for Medicaid, which shifts more financial responsibilities to states. If Medicaid cuts move ahead, 72 million Americans–including low-income adults, children, older adults, and people with disabilities–could lose essential coverage.
The decisions made in this reconciliation package will impact healthcare for years to come.
Now is the time to urge Congress to:
- Eliminate the proposed 2.83% Medicare physician payment cut.
- Apply the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to update physician payments over 10 years.
- Add a permanent inflationary adjustment to stabilize access to care.
No matter who your representative is, you have power in this process:
- If your representative sits on these key committees: You have a unique chance to directly shape the outcome.
- If they don’t: Your representative still works closely with committee members and can influence the discussion.
Take Action Now!
Interested in learning more about the budget reconciliation process? Check out this helpful graphic:
