Policy

A new chapter in the health-care reform debate begins today as two important pieces of legislation are introduced in the House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, unveiled H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which seeks to address the uninsured by including a public option that would allow the HHS secretary to negotiate payment rates with providers and not base them on Medicare rates. The AGA has worked with the Ways and Means Committee for years on a technical correction to the CRC screening deductible waiver, which was included in the bill. To read more about the bill and important provisions for GI, read “Key Provisions for GI in the House Health Reform Bill.”

The House leadership also introduced H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, which revamps the current sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula by preventing the 21.5 percent cut in payments in January 2010 and replacing it with an update based on the Medicare economic index. The legislation also transitions physicians to a new payment system that creates two new targets for physicians: one for evaluation and management services, which would include preventive services, and another target for all other services. The legislation would also encourage physicians to form accountable care organizations where they would be rewarded based on quality and efficiency. The AGA continues to analyze and review these bills and their impact on gastroenterology.

The AGA also continues to advocate that health-care reform legislation contain comprehensive payment reform for physicians that provides fair, equitable reimbursement and ensures access to specialty care for patients. We will continue to fight for fair reimbursement for gastroenterologists and access to specialty care for patients.