02/17/2021

OSMA Joins AMA in Urging Congress to Extend the Moratorium on the Medicare Sequester

OSMA recently signed on to  a letter from the American Medical Association (AMA) encouraging congressional leadership to take action and pass legislation that would extend the current moratorium on the 2% Medicare payment sequester beyond the expiration date of March 31, 2021.

This moratorium was put in place by Congress earlier into the pandemic in recognition of the financial strain that many health care facilities, especially physician practices, were subject to due to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country.

In particular, this letter advocated for the passage of H.R. 315, also known as the “Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act,” which is a bipartisan bill that would continue the moratorium for the duration of the public health emergency due to COVID-19. The health care system and physician practices across the state continue to face additional stress and fiscal concerns due to the ongoing pandemic, and OSMA believes it is critical that Congress act to further postpone the Medicare sequester.

Dozens of national and state medical and specialty societies also signed on to the letter, which was delivered to leadership in Congress on February 12.