The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission today voted to recommend that Congress update Medicare payment rates for hospital inpatient and outpatient services by the current law amount plus 1% for 2024, and distribute an additional $2 billion to safety-net hospitals by transitioning to a safety-net index policy. In other action, MedPAC recommended that Congress: 

  • Update 2024 Medicare payments for physicians and other health professional services by half the Medicare Economic Index increase, and enact a non-budget-neutral add-on payment under the physician fee schedule to services provided to low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
  • Reduce 2024 payment rate for home health agencies by 7%.
  • Reduce 2024 payment rates for skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities by 3%.
  • Update the 2024 Medicare base payment rate for hospice services by the amount specified in current law, and wage adjust and reduce the hospice aggregate cap by 20%.

In addition, MedPAC presented status reports for the Part D and Medicare Advantage programs, and reports on outpatient use of behavioral health services and telehealth. The commission also reviewed three policy approaches to addressing high Part B drug prices, a body of work it will continue this spring.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA today voiced support for the Rural Hospital Support Act (S. 335), legislation that would make the Medicare-dependent Hospital program and low-volume…
Headline
The AHA Jan. 31 commended Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Cornyn, R-Texas., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., on draft legislation…
Headline
The White House Office of Management and Budget Jan. 29 rescinded a memo it issued two days earlier directing federal agencies to temporarily pause federal…
Headline
An analysis by KFF released Jan. 28 found that Medicare Advantage insurers made nearly 50 million prior authorization determinations in 2023. The finding…
Headline
The White House Office of Management and Budget late Jan. 27 issued a memo directing federal agencies to temporarily pause federal grants, loans and other…
Headline
The AHA Jan. 27 voiced support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed rule on policy and technical changes to Medicare Advantage and…