Policy and Legislation

The bill proposes to increase payment accuracy, encourage physicians to adopt proven practices, supply doctors with data to improve care, and, for patients, to make Medicare more transparent by them more access to information.

Many startups aimed at bringing hospitals and physicians software and management services to adapt to new Medicare and insurance payment models.

The new proposal will repeal the current Sustainable Growth Rate and institute a 0.5 percent payment update each year for five years.

While Congress weighs the sustainable growth rate repeal, insiders have taken to Twitter to voice support for the overdue change.

This year alone, prevention and enforcement efforts recovered $3.3 billion from individuals and companies that attempted to defraud federal health programs serving seniors, persons with disabilities or those with low incomes.

In its annual recommendations to Congress on Medicare policies, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends a 3.25 percent update to inpatient and outpatient hospital payment rates for 2016, as well as repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for physician services.

Officials say the percentage of people without coverage has dropped by about a third since 2012: from 20.3 percent to 13.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

Unless Congress takes action by the end of this month, doctors who treat Medicare patients will see a 21 percent payment cut.

Vague statement by Joint Committee claims lawmakers are working on a replacement, though no details are released.

House Republicans refused to advance the bill and invoked a rule requiring a three-fifths majority of House members to vote for the bill to continue to the floor.