{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=F3A027D5-8309-4C81-914D-AE520B11E633", "Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Seniors\u2019 Access to Healthcare", "2024-08-01", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", "boozman", "https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Peter Welch (D-VT) along with Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) are leading efforts to protect access to Medicare services by reforming the program\u2019s physician fee schedule with the introduction of the Physician Fee Stabilization Act.\n\nThe legislation would increase the budget neutrality threshold to $53 million with an increase every five years to keep pace with the Medicare Economic Index. This is a critical step forward to ensure greater flexibility in determining pricing adjustments for services without triggering harmful annual payment cuts to Medicare-serving physicians. The budget neutrality threshold was last updated in 1992.\n\n\u201cMedicare patients must have access to quality health services. Ensuring physicians are fairly compensated for their work will help deliver stability to providers so they continue to meet the needs of their communities. I\u2019m proud to lead this bipartisan solution that enhances Medicare\u2019s sustainability,\u201d Boozman said.\n\n\u201cSo many Vermonters rely on Medicare for their health care coverage \u2013 it\u2019s critical that their health care providers are fairly compensated,\u201d said Welch. \u201cThis commonsense, bipartisan bill updates an outdated, decades-old policy that triggers harmful cuts to provider payments. We\u2019re working across the aisle to ensure providers in Vermont, and in rural communities around the country, can keep treating Medicare patients and get reimbursed fairly for the care they provide.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe nearly two million Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina expect timely access to quality care,\u201d said Tillis. \u201cYear after year, we\u2019ve seen consistent Medicare reimbursement cuts to physicians that adversely impact access to care and patient outcomes \u2013 and just last month, Medicare proposed yet another three percent cut to physician reimbursement. This bipartisan legislation makes long-overdue changes to outdated policies to ensure physicians are adequately reimbursed, and seniors have uninterrupted access to care.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccessible and reliable healthcare is essential for seniors across Maine, especially for those in our most rural communities,\u201d said King. \u201cThe Physician Fee Stabilization Act would ensure that Medicare providers are adequately paid so that they can continue to offer their full range of services to Maine\u2019s Medicare beneficiaries. I want to thank my colleagues for prioritizing the healthcare and well-being of our older Americans.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis legislation is a great step forward to provide stability for physicians serving our most vulnerable populations,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cMedicare payment changes have been severely impacting doctors in rural Kansas and nationwide since I was practicing. It's time to implement meaningful reforms. I am proud to support this bill and look forward to working with Senator Boozman to help physicians everywhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s critical we do all we can to ensure that Granite Staters who rely on Medicare for health insurance have access to the quality, affordable care they need,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cThis bipartisan bill would make sure physicians are fairly compensated and guarantee adequate reimbursement for providers, which would help strengthen Medicare\u2019s dependability for patients now and into the future.\u201d\n\nThe Physician Fee Stabilization Act has support from nationwide health organizations including the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), American Optometric Association (AOA), Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), National Rural Health Association (NRHA), American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), American College of Radiology (ACR), American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), Alliance of Specialty Medicine (ASM), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Urological Association (AUA), American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), American Psychiatric Association (APA), American College of Physicians (ACF), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and American College of Cardiology (ACC).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:32Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=F3A027D5-8309-4C81-914D-AE520B11E633"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2027159575372934, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}