This afternoon President Biden signed S. 610, the Protecting Medicare & American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act, into law. As previously noted the legislation will do the following:
- CMS will receive a 3% appropriation for 2022 to partially offset its planned 3.75% cut to the conversion factor used to set payment for codes used by providers.
- Implementation of a looming 4% across the board “pay as you go” cut mandated through budget rules will be postponed until 2023.
- A temporary moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequestration cut required by law since 2011 as part a deficit spending mechanism will be continued through part of 2022. The moratorium will last until April, when a 1% sequestration will return, with the full 2% sequestration reduction beginning in July.
The Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act, or SMART Act (H.R. 5536) aimed at addressing the PTA differential wasn’t included in the last-minute legislative package approved by Congress; however lawmakers will return in early 2022 to address a long list of critical issues they did not finish before the end of this year. We are already working with our congressional allies to push for passage of the SMART Act in 2022.
Thank you for your advocacy!
APTA-Mississippi 