ACEP on the Hill
Senate HELP Committee Advances Dr. Lorna Breen Act Reauthorization and other ACEP Priorities
On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee held a legislative markup of several bills, including the “Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act” (S. 3679), legislation to reauthorize the ACEP-developed law that improves access to mental health care services and supports for physicians and other health care providers.
ACEP led a coalition letter signed by 63 health care organizations supporting reauthorization of the Breen law and during the markup, the letter was submitted into the congressional record by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). The bill passed the committee in a strong bipartisan 19-2 vote, with only Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Braun (R-IN) voting in opposition. ACEP submitted an individual statement for the record in support of S. 3679, as well as two of the other bills considered during the markup, including The Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S.3765) and reauthorization of the nation’s poison control centers (S.4351).
The EMSC legislation also advanced in an identical 19-2 vote to the Breen legislation, while the poison control centers reauthorization bill advanced in an unanimous vote.
The bills now await further consideration before the full Senate. ACEP continues working closely with congressional leadership and legislative champions to secure enactment of these ACEP priorities.
House Budget Committee Examines Health Care Consolidation
On Thursday, the House Budget Committee held a hearing entitled, “Breaking Up Health Care Monopolies: Examining the Budgetary Effects of Health Care Consolidation.” The discussion focused on the impact of consolidation on patient care, declining Medicare reimbursement rates, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, and the growing influence of insurance companies over health care providers.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) emphasized the importance of addressing rising health care costs and the financial instability caused by consolidation, noting that consolidation has increased prices and limited patient choices, with significant impacts on federal health care spending.
ACEP submitted a statement for the record detailing how health care consolidation has affected emergency medicine in terms of wages, workload, job availability, due process rights, and other issues. The statement also noted how these trends reduce physician autonomy and contribute to burnout, as well as how growing consolidation further erodes physicians’ ability to negotiate fair contracts with insurance companies that dominate many markets.
ACEP continues to advocate for policies that ensure emergency physicians can practice in positive environments where patient care is prioritized, and continues working with legislators and regulators to identify solutions to address the impacts of consolidation on our health care system.
Ways and Means Examines the Collapse of Private Practice
Also on Thursday, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing, entitled “The Collapse of Private Practice: Examining the Challenges Facing Independent Medicine.” The subcommittee heard from several different physicians about the many challenges facing independent physician practices, including how increased consolidation in the health care system, as well as the involvement of private equity, threatens the ability of many physician specialties to remain independent.
During the hearing, both witnesses and subcommittee members raised the issue of declining Medicare payment rates, increasing operational costs, and regulatory and administrative burdens such as prior authorization. There was also discussion of how the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) has increased the regulatory burden on practices without advancing patient care or serving as a reliable measure of quality.
ACEP continues to work with the Ways and Means Committee on the challenges affecting emergency medicine and the health care system more broadly.
