It Is Time For Site-Neutral Payments In Our Healthcare System
Late last year, the House of Representatives passed a small step toward site-neutral payment policies in Medicare. But the Senate did not pass the bill due to opposition from the hospital industry. Since then, healthcare advocate groups have made a full court press to pass something in 2024. The hospital lobby is strong and has resisted these types of reforms for years. But advocates, health plans, and other parties have made the case that the reform is critical to lowering overall costs in the system as well as rising out-of-pocket costs for everyday Americans. Of course they are right. I have it as a key reform within one of my healthcare reform tenets – price reform. What are site-neutral payment policies? Quite simply, it means paying the same amount for the same service regardless of the place of service or location. Traditionally, outpatient hospital settings have gotten paid far more