April 16, 2026
The AMA is asking physicians to urge their federal representatives to support the recently introduced Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, H.R. 8163. Physicians can use this link to prepare and send a pre-drafted email directly to their representatives.
The bill contains three major reforms:
Updated Budget Neutrality Threshold. Currently, budget neutrality dictates that if federal spending increases exceeds $20 million in one area, then that must be offset by other costs in healthcare (e.g., decreases in Medicare payment rates). The $20 million budget neutrality threshold has remained the same since the early 1990s and has never been adjusted for inflation. H.R. 8163 would modernize this outdated provision, providing a long overdue threshold increase to $54.3 million, and indexing it every five years based on the cumulative percentage increase in the Medical Economic Index (MEI).
Regular Evaluation of Medical Practice Costs to Stabilize Payment Rates. Medicare payment rates are partially calculated based on practice costs. Currently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates different components of practice costs and/or practice costs associated with specific specialties at different times on irregular cycles. The bill requires CMS to evaluate all medical practice costs at least every five years to prevent large swings in payment rates.
Claims-Based Payment Rate Adjustments. Medicare payment rates are partially calculated based on projected service utilization. Currently, when CMS adds new billing codes or unbundles existing codes, they must estimate the projected utilization of said codes. If CMS over-projects utilization, physicians lose money and those costs can’t be recouped. The bill requires CMS to (a) review actual claims data on the utilization of new or unbundled codes after they have been on the market and (b) increase payment rates in following years to reconcile for over-projections.
To learn more, click here. Contact Adrian Uphoff, manager of health policy and regulatory affairs, with questions.
August 27, 2026
On August 19, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion in favor of Fairview Health Services’ argument that Minnesota statute requires a trustee to be appointed prior to that trustee being able to bring a wrongful death action.
August 27, 2026
A group of Minnesota residents and fellows gathered outside the University of Minnesota Medical Center on August 24 demanding their first contract, something they've been bargaining for since last September.
August 27, 2026
HealthcareCareersMN.org, an MMA initiative, continues to grow and support the healthcare career aspirations of students from across Minnesota.