bipartisan plan Friday to require Medicare to pay the same rate for the same service, regardless of where the service is delivered.

[butters]

The “site-neutral” payment reform plan from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) is aimed at stopping hospitals from getting more money from Medicare for procedures that can be done in less expensive settings, like a physician’s office or an ambulatory surgical center.

According to Cassidy and Hassan, the plan will save taxpayers billions of dollars. They proposed equalizing payments for some services provided in off-campus hospital outpatient departments with what Medicare pays for physicians’ offices.

“Patients should not be forced to pay higher bills just because their regular doctor’s office was purchased by a hospital,” Hassan said. “There is bipartisan agreement that by pursuing site neutral payment in Medicare, we can lower costs and ensure that more people can get the health care that they need.”

But hospitals have long fought off any attempts to equalize payment rates, arguing such a move would hurt rural providers and those that rely on a high proportion of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Hospitals also argue they have higher overhead costs and so need higher reimbursements.

To combat that issue, the plan would reinvest some of the savings into rural and safety net hospitals through Medicare. The plan would also create another bonus for hospitals to keep providing services like maternity care, trauma centers, burn units and neonatal intensive care units.

of course, that isn't stopping the hospitals from screaming out about it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/ot...1&cvid=120e005f01364dfcb4ca10ed2cbd1c70&ei=94