Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) recently introduced a measure that would repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula and replace it with a system designed by physicians to incentivize high-quality care for seniors.
Burgess introduced the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Act following a bipartisan agreement reached between the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Committee on Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
“This bill puts medicine back in charge and allows providers to work collaboratively with (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) to determine the appropriate methodology to accurately measure quality,” Burgess, the vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Health and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, said. “In addition, by maintaining a fee for service option, more providers are likely to remain in the system. The progress we have made this year toward repealing and replacing the SGR is unparalleled, but it is not the end of our efforts. We will continue to fight for a stable update beyond the first five years.”
The new policy would ensure that providers compete on a level playing field to deliver a higher quality of care to Medicare beneficiaries. It would also provide 0.5 percent positive updates in physician payments for five years and includes a provision to determine other updates that may be needed.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said bipartisan agreement among the committees on the measure was an important milestone in repealing and replacing the SGR formula.
“Much work remains to create a system that can finally provide certainty to seniors and their doctors,” Upton said. “I look forward to building upon this progress and continuing the momentum until this is across the finish line.”