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Last night Congress unveiled an end-of-year legislative package that provides a 2.5 percent positive payment adjustment to Medicare physician payment effective Jan. 1, 2025, eliminating nearly all of an impending 2.8 percent cut.

 ASGE applauds congressional lawmakers for recognizing the need to prevent a harmful Medicare payment cut to physicians. Medicare physician payments are not indexed to inflation and, as a result, payments to physicians have fallen nearly 30 percent behind inflation over the past 20 years. Despite this victory, ASGE’s work is not finished. Next year ASGE will make Medicare physician payment reform a top priority, including securing an inflationary update that reflects the Medicare Economic Index and reforming unfair budget neutrality requirements that cause cuts to physician payments.

 ASGE extends its gratitude to members who took time over the past year to contact or speak with their members of Congress about the impact Medicare payment cuts have on their practices and patients.

 The legislation also extends COVID-era telehealth flexibilities through 2026 which means that Medicare patients can access telehealth wherever they are located; they don’t need to be at an originating site, and there are no geographic restrictions.

 The bill also includes transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit management companies.

 These and other legislative items are tied to a continuing resolution that keeps the government funded until March 14, 2025 while Congress continues to negotiate a Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill. Votes on the bill are expected on Friday, but timing could slip to the weekend. 

 ASGE members can receive updates on ASGE advocacy and policy items every Wednesday in SCOPE.