Issue Background

Illinois Chiropractic Society

Illinois Chiropractic Society - Working to Ensure a Healthier Illinois

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Email Congress about Proposed Medicare Cuts

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would make changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for 2021. When making changes, HHS is required to achieve budget neutrality which means for any increase there must be a decrease elsewhere. Therefore, under this rule, some codes received increases and others were significantly reduced.

The proposed fee schedule devalues the codes for spinal manipulation, the only service Medicare covers for chiropractic physicians.

Without intervention, this proposal will result in a 19.54% cut to chiropractic physicians' Medicare payments. Drastic cuts are difficult during normal times, let alone during a pandemic.

These cuts cause greater barriers to patients. Patients need more access to chiropractic care, not more barriers to care.

More information can be found about the rule here.
Tell Congress to Support H.R. 8505!

In August, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule. The proposed rule, if implemented, would lead to a 10 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursement for doctors of chiropractic and other providers. The reductions are primarily driven by new Medicare payment policies for office and outpatient visits that CMS is set to implement on January 1, 2021.

On October 2nd, Representative Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) introduced H.R.8505 which would implement a one-year waiver of the Budget Neutrality adjustments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) stopping the devastating cuts from taking place on January 1, 2021.

Contact your Member of Congress today and urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 8505 and help protect Medicare patients!