As your Representative in Congress, I wanted to share some important news with you.
This update involves two important topics – Medicare provider payments, and the recent $1.9 trillion spending bill.
A decade ago, Congress created a budget tactic in an attempt to rein in spending. It requires automatic cuts across a number of sectors annually and includes a 2% cut to Medicare providers, like hospitals and medical offices. However, Congress has the power to waive this automatic cut to increase spending and pass expensive legislation.
When the pandemic hit, Congress temporarily suspended this 2% cut for health care providers, in an effort to support the struggling economy. This week Congress voted to continue suspending the cut. But in an effort to wipe the slate clean on the recent $1.9 trillion in spending, Congress tied the Medicare payment reimbursements to the debt forgiveness.
The $1.9 trillion spending bill, marketed as COVID relief, passed without any bipartisan support and included $1 trillion in funding for programs not related to COVID. I believe that any legislation passed by Congress in support of the American people should be targeted, temporary and tied to COVID. This bill was the opposite. That’s why I couldn’t support it, and why I couldn’t support this attempt at debt forgiveness on Friday.
I support protecting Medicare providers, like hospitals and medical offices. That’s why I cosponsored legislation to continue suspending the Medicare providers cut through the end of the pandemic. This is a bipartisan bill, and you can learn more about it here.
Access to health care for seniors needs to be protected and preserved. This includes supporting our local hospitals and physicians who keep their doors open and continue to provide critical care for our community. I was disappointed that Congress tied these two issues together and wanted to make sure you had this important update.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns, my office information can be found here
