Skip to main content

Letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Ranking Member Henry Waxman on the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently released A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-Wide Cost Containment, which included a multitude of recommendations to spur improvement in system-wide health care quality and efficiency. This effort, led by former senators Tom Daschle, Bill Frist, Pete Domenici, and former OMB and CBO Director Dr. Alice Rivlin, focused extensively on reforms to Medicare that would result in higher quality care and reduce cost growth for beneficiaries and taxpayers. A central aim of our recommendations, which incorporate an SGR fix, is to create strong incentives for the full range of providers to transition from the volume-based payment methods that predominate in Medicare today to advanced payment and delivery models that promote accountability for quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and value.

Reforming the SGR presents a critical opportunity for Congress to enact comprehensive Medicare reimbursement reforms that prioritize quality and value. A fix to the SGR formula should be contingent upon additional incentives to improve quality and value.

15164
letters-and-testimony
2013-07-09 00:00:00
Share
Read Next
Downloads and Resources

Support Research Like This

With your support, BPC can continue to fund important research like this by combining the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans.

Give Now