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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has endorsed bipartisan legislation by Congressman Ami Bera, M.D., (D-CA-07) and Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN-08), that would offset January 1, 2021 cuts to Medicare payment rates for physician anesthesiologists, among other specialties.
As proposed, Medicare payments for many medical specialties would be cut significantly. The Medicare anesthesia conversion factors would be cut by 10%. This will harm practices already suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bera-Bucshon legislation would temporarily offer payments to mitigate the pay cuts in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, ensuring compensation is at least equal to 2020 rates.
ASA remains deeply concerned about the proposed cuts, which could destabilize health system financing, and drastically diminish the opportunity for hospital and physician practices to recover financially from COVID-19. As Medicare payment already undervalues anesthesia care, anesthesia practices will suffer even more.
