ASGE joined a coalition of national medical societies urging Congress to pass H.R. 8163, the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, legislation designed to improve stability within the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).
Physician payments under Medicare have declined by 33% over the past two decades, while practice expenses continue to rise. Physicians also remain the only Medicare provider group without an annual inflation-tied payment update. At the same time, recurring budget neutrality adjustments have triggered repeated conversion factor cuts that threaten the financial stability of physician practices and patient access to care.
The legislation would:
- Modernize outdated budget neutrality thresholds that contribute to recurring payment cuts
- Limit large year-to-year swings in the Medicare conversion factor
- Improve the accuracy and timeliness of practice expense updates
- Address financial distortions tied to inaccurate utilization projections
ASGE supports prompt passage of the legislation and continues to advocate for a permanent annual inflationary update tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to help ensure long-term payment stability and patient access to care.