To the Honorable Congressman Reed:
I am writing to express my concern about the upcoming changes to the Medicare program that could prevent me from accessing the rehabilitative therapeutic care that I need to function in my day-to-day life.
My name is Maria Ny and I oppose the substantial payment cuts in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that are slated to take effect on January 1, 2021. Physical therapy helps slow the degeneration of my lower back. I have degenerative arthritis from L2-S1 in my lower back and nerve damage. I also benefit from occupational therapy because it helps me maintain as much independence as possible.
In the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, CMS finalized substantial payment cuts to more than three dozen healthcare specialties in order to increase payments for services that are provided by primary care professionals. Despite the economic crisis that threatens healthcare organizations across the country, CMS has chosen to move forward with these cuts, and they are slated to take effect on January 1, 2021. Specifically, physical and occupational therapy payment rates will fall by 9% come the new year.
These cuts could prevent me, a patient, from accessing the care that I need to maintain and improve my quality of life. CMS's decision to reduce rehab therapy payment rates by 9% during an economic crisis could run many clinics out of business - especially in rural and underserved areas and areas with a high density of Medicare patients. Additionally, payment cuts of this caliber could make therapists reluctant to treat Medicare patients despite our undeniable need for these services.
Because CMS has chosen to move forward with these payment cuts in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, Congress must intervene. Currently, CMS is bound by a budget neutrality requirement. If Congress waives the budget neutrality requirement for these upcoming payment changes, then CMS will be able to award primary care professionals the payments they deserve without unfairly burdening other types of providers - and potentially crippling entire sectors of the healthcare system.
Please consider including language that will waive CMS's budget neutrality requirements in any relevant and upcoming legislation. This action could save the physical and occupational therapy industries from suffering an enormous economic fallout that will prevent patients like myself from easily accessing necessary care for years to come.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Maria Ny
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2734 Loker Ave West, Suite J
Carlsbad, California 92010
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