APTQI Commends House Rules Committee for Considering Bill to Prevent Across-the-Board Direct Spending Cuts

By waiving S-PAYGO requirements and extending temporary suspension of sequestration until the end of 2021, H.R. 1868 would help protect patient access and ensure provider stability 

Washington, D.C. –– The Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI)  commends the House Rules Committee for holding a meeting to review H.R. 1868, a critical piece of legislation to help ensure provider stability and Medicare beneficiaries’ access to specialty services by preventing across-the-board direct spending cuts. If passed, the bill would waive statutory pay-as-you-go (S-PAYGO) requirements for the recently-signed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and extend temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration until December 31, 2021.

If the bill is enacted, it would provide much-needed relief to specialty healthcare providers – including physical, occupational and speech therapists. Extending sequestration relief through December 31, 2021 would provide critical financial relief for providers and stabilize the nation’s healthcare delivery infrastructure in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill was introduced by John Yarmuth (KY-3), Chair of the House Budget Committee; Richard Neal (MA-1), Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; Frank Pallone (NJ-6), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; and, David Scott (GA-13), Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.

“Extending sequester relief and stabilizing our healthcare system amid the nation’s worst public health crisis in a century will go a long way towards ensuring continued access to vital specialty services for America’s vulnerable Medicare population,” said Nikesh Patel, PT, Executive Director of APTQI. “We commend the House Rules Committee for holding a meeting on this essential piece of legislation. We also applaud Congressmen Yarmuth, Neal, Pallone, and Scott for their leadership in backing this critical bill and urge Congress – especially their colleagues in the U.S. Senate – to quickly pass H.R. 1868 into law.”

To read the full text of H.R. 1868, click here.

To watch the House Rules Committee’s proceedings on H.R. 1868, click here.

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