A Congressional Budget Office report found a bill, H.R. 5122, aiming to prevent Medicare Part B payment reform, would result in a hefty loss in savings, according to Morning Consult.
Here are four key takeaways:
1. The report found the bill would increase direct spending by $395 million from 2017 to 2026.
2. The agency also estimates the bill would prevent more than $1.1 billion in savings if the bill successfully blocks the Medicare payment proposal.
3. Some of the proposed Medicare Part B payment changes include:
• Lowering the add-on payments from 6 percent to 2.5 percent with an additional $16.80 flat payment
• Decreasing or eliminating patient cost-sharing
• Analyzing physicians' prescribing patterns to create decision-support tools to help provide patients with the safest and most appropriate drug choices
4. In May 2016, a group of 242 legislators are urging the Obama administration to get rid of their proposed payment changes to Medicare Part B. Democratic House members including Reps. Brad Ashford (Neb.), Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and Collin Peterson (Minn.) signed the letter. The letter cautions the program may harm patients by limiting their access to treatment.
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