SNMMI & Partners Urge Congress to Waive Budget Neutrality for MPFS Beyond 2021

February 23, 2021

Yesterday, in two letters to the House and Senate, SNMMI and 74 organizations welcomed and urged the 117th Congress to consider additional policy options in the year ahead to address shortcomings in physician reimbursement. During the final days of the 116th Congress, a broad bipartisan effort helped ensure language was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260) that alleviated devastating payment cuts to providers across the health care delivery system set to take effect under the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). MPFS cuts were reduced from 10% to roughly 5% for one year.

The undersigned organizations stressed that the need for reforms to the Medicare system, particularly the MPFS, are critical. The most pressing of these reforms is addressing the budget neutrality requirement, which may lead to arbitrary reductions to physician reimbursement. Scheduled deep cuts to providers who are reimbursed under the MPFS for 2022, 2023, and 2024 that will negatively impact patient care and diminish practitioners' small businesses, further slowing our nation's health and economic recovery from the pandemic.

A current version of the MPFS chart may be found here.