Senate passes moratorium to Medicare sequester cuts

(Getty photograph by Michael Duva)

The Senate on Thursday handed H.R. 1868, a invoice that will reduce the two% Medicare sequester cuts that hospitals and medical professionals opposed.

The invoice handed with an amendment additional by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, to hold off the Medicare payment cuts through December 31 and make certain that the charge of the hold off is compensated for.

The invoice as amended received overwhelming assistance in a 90-two vote. It required a 60 vote the vast majority for approval and was up in opposition to an conclusion-of-March deadline prior to hospitals and other providers received a two% cut in their Medicare reimbursement.

The Dwelling, which handed H.R. 1868 final week, is envisioned to approve the amended invoice when members return from the congressional recess in two months.

WHY THIS Matters

The American Hospital Association and the American Professional medical Association both equally signaled their approval for avoiding reimbursement cuts at a time when several providers are battling financially to recuperate from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“America’s hospitals and health and fitness units thank the U.S. Senate for doing the job in a bipartisan manner nowadays to prolong relief from pending Medicare cuts to medical professionals and hospitals that would have long gone into effect in just a handful of times,” reported Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. “Extra than a yr into this pandemic, hospitals, health and fitness units and our caregivers keep on being on the entrance strains in the battle in opposition to the virus by caring for patients and vaccinating communities. While vaccines give us excellent hope for the future, with around 85,000 new scenarios and nearly 1,500 deaths due to COVID-19 yesterday alone, according to Johns Hopkins, we are not out of the woods nonetheless and it is in everyone’s fascination to maintain hospitals robust.”

Dr. Susan R. Bailey, president of the American Professional medical Association reported, “The Senate wisely acknowledged that cutting Medicare payments for the duration of a pandemic was unwell-conceived policy. Doctor procedures are currently distressed, and arbitrary two% across-the-board Medicare cuts would have been devastating. When the Dwelling returns following the congressional recess, we hope it will observe suit and pass this required laws quickly and with bipartisan assistance.”

On Thursday, Senators rejected an amendment by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, in a vote of forty seven in favor, 50 in opposition to. Scott reported that though he opposed any cuts to Medicare, his amendment would make certain that all 50 states would be taken care of similarly.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, spoke in opposition to the Scott amendment, expressing the invoice fixes a drafting error and did not supply more funds to California or any other point out.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, reported the invoice was to deal with a problem in the American Rescue Prepare, a “invoice that was handed in a rushed manner with no input from Republicans.” 

Republicans are involved and baffled about a provision that would reduce states from cutting taxes through 2024. Twenty-just one states sent a letter to the Treasury increasing fears about the tax cut prohibition, Braun reported.

Sen Joe Manchin, D- West Virginia, reported very little in the act denies states the potential to cut taxes. It only offers that funding received less than the act may not be made use of to offset the reduction until it’s COVID-19 connected, he reported.

THE Greater Pattern

H.R. 1868 exempts the Medicare sequester cut from the budgetary effects of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 that was induced by passage of the $1.nine trillion COVID-19 relief invoice previously this month.
 
This week, Senate leaders Chuck Schumer, D-New York and Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, attained an agreement to prolong the moratorium on the two% Medicare sequester cut that was set to go into effect on March 31.

Republicans had pushed again in opposition to the quantity of money in the $1.nine trillion American Rescue Prepare. Irrespective of the funding quantity, hospitals received no additional relief or financial loan forgiveness, as requested by the American Hospital Association.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, on Thursday reported the deficit has long gone from $3 trillion final yr to $3.5 trillion this yr.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
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