Urge the Senate to Protect Emergency Medicine Now!
Following passage by the House of Representatives of a budget reconciliation bill that includes Medicaid changes that will harm emergency medicine and those who depend upon the program, the Senate has released its own proposals that could be even more damaging and are projected to result in nearly 11 million more uninsured individuals.
While we share Congress’ commitment to preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, Medicare, and any federal payment programs, the impacts of policies that will leave millions of people without any health coverage will fall squarely on emergency departments that are already under significant strain nationwide. Individuals without health insurance coverage still have health care needs that will go unmet, especially as other physicians begin to close practices or stop accepting Medicaid. These patients will be left with no other option but to seek care in the emergency department after their conditions worsen and become more complex, all while driving up the continued losses EDs face due to uncompensated care.
The Senate text also fails to include any proposal to reverse the 2.8% cut to Medicare physician payment that went into effect in January, nor does it provide much-needed stability and long-term reform to the program. As detailed in a recent RAND report, access to emergency care is at risk due to growing financial and operational pressures on emergency physicians. These systemic challenges include a 3.8% decline in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements over the past five years alongside declining commercial rates, as well as a disproportionate burden of uncompensated care with 20% of emergency physician payments unpaid across all payer types – representing $5.9 billion in annual losses.
As well, the Senate legislative text includes significant changes to federal student aid similar to those in the House-passed bill that will put medical education even further out of reach for many, including a provision that excludes the years spent in residency from qualifying towards participation in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
The long-term viability of emergency medicine is under threat! Without any commensurate investment in the emergency care safety net, corresponding efforts to increase access to health coverage, or policies to address the uncompensated care burden, we risk increased burnout and stress in the emergency physician workforce as we are left with fewer and fewer resources to provide high-quality care to our patients.
Write to your U.S. Senators TODAY to ask them to reject the policies under consideration as part of this bill that will fall disproportionately on emergency physicians and our patients in need.