AOA rallies against Medicare payment cuts during COVID-19
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The AOA is supporting a bill that would stop pending Medicare payment cuts to optometrists and other medical specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HR 8702, also called the “Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020,” would halve cuts resulting from Evaluation and Management code changes slated for Jan. 1, 2021.
Instead, payments would remain at 2020 rates for specified services for 2021 and 2022, with the planned Evaluation and Management payment increases taking place after this 2-year pause.
The AOA told Primary Care Optometry News that, in a letter to the U.S. House members, the organization, along with American Medical Association and others, appealed for stability due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and indicated “a necessity to halt any payment reductions that could inadvertently limit patient access to care or further exacerbate the financial instability of health care providers.”