In the same week that the CBO released its score, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) together released a framework that calls for repealing the SGR and replacing fee-for-service payments with a system that reimburses physicians in a way that rewards quality and efficiency. According to the committee, industry stakeholders have until Feb. 25 to comment on the proposal.
Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, president of the American Medical Association, told Modern Healthcare that he's encouraged not only because of the CBO's recent projection to fix the SGR, but also because activity surrounding the issue is happening so early in the year. “We had Chairman Upton tell us he was hopeful he'd have a bipartisan bill before August,” Lazarus said. The AMA concluded its annual advocacy conference in Washington on Feb. 13, where Upton served as a speaker.
Dan Boston, executive vice president and principal at consulting firm Health Policy Source, said House lawmakers on both committees could produce a joint legislative proposal by late March with a bill ready for a vote by the August recess. “As much as there can be an alignment of stars on this issue for them, this is it,” Boston said, referring to both chambers of Congress.
But Anders Gilberg, senior vice president at the MGMA, said that while the new CBO estimate created an impetus for Congress to act, that projection comes at a time when lawmakers are ready to dive into a series of budget battles. He said how lawmakers work together to address upcoming automatic spending cuts—known as sequestration—will serve as a good indicator on whether they can collaborate on fixing the SGR.
“If they can't come together on the sequestration issue,” Gilberg said, “it doesn't bode well for them to do anything on SGR, regardless of the price.”
(This article as been updated to correct the name of AMA President Jeremy Lazarus.)
