The Pennsylvania Medical Society recently sent a letter to Pennsylvania’s 19-member congressional delegation asking them to cosponsor H.R. 1700, the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act. This federal legislation would give Medicare beneficiaries a greater choice of physicians by allowing them to use their benefits even if the physician they choose does not accept Medicare.
Under the current law, beneficiaries are forced to pay entirely out of pocket if their physician has opted out of Medicare. If this bill passes, Medicare patients who see a physician who has opted out of Medicare would only be responsible for the difference between what Medicare typically covers and what the physician charges.
This bill would preempt Pennsylvania’s Medicare Fee Control Act (Act 81 of 1990) that currently prohibits Medicare non-participating physicians from balance billing patients.
The bill would also eliminate the two-year physician Medicare opt-out requirement. Medicare beneficiaries and the physicians they choose to provide their care would be able to enter into private contracts without penalty.
H.R. 1700 was introduced by Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-GA).Identical legislation, S. 1042, was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).