Inflation Reduction Act slated to pass tomorrow

On Sunday, the U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) by a 51-50 vote, with the Vice President breaking the tie. This legislation would, for the first time, provide the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary the authority to negotiate the cost of certain drugs in the Medicare program and establish an annual out-of-pocket cap of $2,000 for Medicare beneficiaries. Price negotiation would first apply to 10 high-cost drugs under Medicare Part D in 2026, later expanding to certain high-cost physician administered drugs under Medicare Part B in 2028. In addition to updates to prescription drug policy, the IRA would also extend expiring tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and invest over $400 billion to address climate change.

The bill heads to the House tomorrow, Friday, August 12; pending its passage, the legislation is expected to then be immediately signed into law by the President. 

Join MGMA in a GovChat Live on August 23

The MGMA Government Affairs team is hosting a GovChat live on Tuesday, August 23, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (ET). During this member-exclusive discussion, the team will provide a high-level overview of policies included in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed rule. MGMA will be seeking feedback from members to help inform our comments in response to the policy proposals and will answer questions during the interactive discussion. 

Registration information is available on the MGMA GovChat Community page. Additionally, we encourage you to review our member-exclusive key takeaway analysis of the 2023 PFS and QPP proposed rule if you haven't done so yet. Please reach out to the Government Affairs team at govaff@mgma.org with any questions.  

Post-pandemic flexibilities resource available now

Since January 2020, the HHS Secretary has determined that a public health emergency (PHE) has been in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the declared PHE, HHS has the authority to waive certain program requirements, however, following the termination of the PHE, many of these flexibilities will expire. MGMA has published a member-exclusive resource highlighting key flexibilities that will expire after the end of the COVID-19 PHE to help practices prepare for policy changes post-pandemic.

The COVID-19 PHE is currently in effect through October 13, 2022, and MGMA anticipates HHS will again renew the PHE at that time.