Stories with related Professional Interests

Congress Mitigates 2024 Medicare Physician Pay Cut - 03/21/2024

Congress recently passed legislation halving the 3.4% Medicare physician pay cut that took effect on Jan. 1, 2024, following a months-long, high-pressure advocacy campaign by the Texas Medical Association, the American Medical Association, and others in organized medicine. But TMA and its allies continue to push for additional reform given that any cut threatens physicians’ practice viability and vulnerable patients’ access to care.

Fix Medicare Now: 2024 Fee Schedule Solidifies Cut, Heightens Calls for Reform - 03/05/2024

This latest cut stems from the 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule and Congressional inaction, both of which further erode physician payment, practice viability, and patient access to care.

Texas' Broadband Boom: An Influx of Funds Could Turbocharge Telehealth Access - 10/18/2023

The federal government recently granted Texas $3.3 billion – the largest award of any U.S. state – to deploy and upgrade broadband networks, critical to ensuring access to telehealth care.

TMA Wins Two More Surprise Billing Lawsuits; CMS Suspends Arbitrations - 10/03/2023

Marking a fourth victory for the Texas Medical Association in as many lawsuits, a court on Aug. 24 struck down a large portion of the regulations setting forth a methodology insurers use to calculate the qualifying payment amount, or QPA, used in surprise-billing disputes – part of a series of federal rules TMA has long argued skew the arbitration process in insurers’ favor.

Congress Weighs Medicare Payment Reform During Health Care Consolidation Hearings - 07/25/2023

Federal lawmakers in both chambers recently took up the issue of increasing consolidation – and, with it, decreasing competition – in the health care industry. Surfaced as possible solutions were several of the Texas Medical Association’s legislative priorities, including Medicare physician payment reform.

Federal Prior Auth Bill Filed in Congress - 07/25/2023

U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess, MD (R-Lewisville), is following his fellow Texas physicians’ lead on curbing insurers’ hassle-laden prior authorization burdens, introducing a federal bill similar to the “gold-card” law the Texas Medical Association proposed and championed into law at the state level.

Court Hearing Approaches in TMA Surprise Billing Lawsuit - 07/17/2023

With a Feb. 4 court hearing on the horizon, the Texas Medical Association recently reiterated its strong opposition to a part of a federal rule that medicine says unfairly favors health insurers when directing arbiters to resolve payment disputes between insurers and physicians under the federal surprise billing law.

Federal Memo Signals Compliance With TMA Court Win – For Now - 02/10/2023

Within days of the Texas Medical Association’s Feb. 23 court victory over federal regulators, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says it’s taking steps to comply with the court’s decision on rules for the No Surprises Act – even as HHS is “considering next steps” after TMA’s win.

Federal Fairness? Congressional Measure Addresses Out-of-Network Payments - 02/10/2023

Congress in December 2020 passed surprise-billing legislation as part of a wide-ranging coronavirus relief bill, tying a bow on federal lawmakers’ primary health care focus just prior to COVID-19. Texas already had set up its own system for state-regulated plans in 2019 with Senate Bill 1264, which took effect last year.

TMA Keeps Pressing Congress on Surprise Billing - 02/10/2023

As lawmakers continue their work on a federal solution to surprise medical bills, the Texas Medical Association is on guard to make sure patients will be protected – and physicians get a fair shot to get paid properly. TMA joined 18 other state medical and specialty societies on a letter last week to the chairs and ranking members of three U.S. House committees.  

Congress Needs to Get This Right - 02/10/2023

The Texas Medical Association, with our nearly 53,000 physician and medical student members, was very pleased to see the Ways and Means Committee weigh in on the debate over surprise medical billing legislation. While the details are yet to come, the general outline of that proposal looks quite promising.

Medicare Pay Cuts on the Horizon: Tell Congress to Act - 11/08/2022

Unless Congress acts by the end of the year, physicians face another big cut to their Medicare payments on Jan. 1.

Congress Scraps Most of Medicare Cuts, Heeding Medicine’s Warnings - 03/08/2022

The Texas Medical Association and many others in organized medicine bellowed through a collective bullhorn, urging Congress to pull Medicare physician payments back from the brink.

Congressional Members Support Halt to Medicare Cuts - 11/28/2021

Two physician members of Congress are echoing the Texas Medical Association’s call for lawmakers to stop pending Medicare physician pay cuts totaling nearly 10%, and their push has the support of hundreds of members of the House of Representatives.

CMS Finalizes Medicare Physician Pay Cut – But Congress Can Still Act - 11/05/2021

Medicare has released its final 2022 physician fee schedule, cementing a series of mandated pay cuts totaling nearly 10% for Medicare-participating physicians, unless Congress votes to reverse them before the end of the year.

Congress May Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage to 12 Months - 10/19/2021

Federal legislation could move Texas toward one of the Texas Medical Association’s long-time goals for improving maternal health – extending Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to a full year.

Payment Process Problematic Under Federal Surprise Billing Rules - 09/22/2021

The Texas Medical Association has weighed in on federal rulemaking to help curb surprise medical bills, telling federal authorities medicine supports many patient protections in the rules – but is deeply concerned with a key piece of the criteria to determine fair payments for out-of-network care.

Federal Lawmakers Agree to Surprise Billing Restrictions, Physician Payment Protections - 12/23/2020

Federal lawmakers put new restrictions on surprise medical billing, reduced requirements that would’ve cut physician Medicare payments, and secured COVID-19-related relief for physicians as part of a massive omnibus legislation package approved this week.

AMA Opposes New Federal Surprise Billing Measure, Urges More Discussion - 12/17/2020

The American Medical Association is opposing the latest “No Surprises Act” and urging more vetting of the bill, which was agreed upon this week by key House and Senate committee leaders.TMA agrees with AMA’s assessment of the bill.

Texas Physician Should Have Leadership Role on U.S. House Committee, TMA Tells Lawmakers - 11/16/2020

U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-Lewisville), the senior physician representing Texas in Washington, D.C., should be the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which directly affects health care nationwide, the Texas Medical Association told key GOP lawmakers this week.

Big Noises Big Issues: Health Care Takes Center Stage One Year Out From 2020 Election - 11/11/2019

One year from now, Texas voters will hit the polls. They’ll be voting for president, for Congress, and for seats in the Texas Legislature. At the state and national levels, health coverage, Medicaid access, and prescription drug costs have gotten plenty of attention already, and they’ll get plenty more between now and the closing of the polls on Nov. 3, 2020. Here’s a look at some of the major health care debates taking center stage during the 2020 election cycle, what voters are and will be hearing about, and what Texas Medical Association policy says on those particular issues.

Purchasing Insurance Across State Lines - 05/25/2017

The Affordable Care Act, signed by the President in 2010, actually provides for the sale of health insurance across state lines. States may form interstate compacts that would allow states in those compacts to sell qualified health plans to purchasers in other states in the compact.