Urge Your U.S. Representative to Support Bipartisan Bill to Address Medicare Cuts
November 4, 2020
A new bill to address proposed Medicare Part B cuts in reimbursement for audiology and speech-language pathology services has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, H.R. 8702, the Holding Providers Harmless From Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020, sponsored by Representatives Ami Bera (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN), would address these cuts by providing relief payments in an amount that will ensure parity with current payment for impacted services for the next two years. The payments would hold providers harmless from the impact of the cuts during that time until a longer-term solution can be developed. While specific to Medicare, the proposed cuts could impact reimbursement for these services by other public and private payers as they evaluate Medicare’s payment rates when determining theirs.
Audiologists and speech-language pathologists can take action by sending a letter to Congress asking their support for H.R. 8702.
Visit ASHA’s Medicare Payment Reductions page for more information and see ASHA’s advocacy efforts on this issue.
Questions?
Contact Jerry White, ASHA’s director of federal affairs for health care, at jwhite@asha.org.
