Ranking members of a subcommittee with broad oversight over several regulatory bodies, including the FDA and Medicare, joined forces to fight proposed cuts to medical imaging tests paid for by the government.
Reps. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) of the Congressional Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health wrote to the chairman of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), arguing that MedPAC’s position that medical imaging is a major driver of Medicare spending growth fails to recognize changes in spending since the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
The Reps. ask that MedPAC wait for scheduled reductions in payment levels assigned by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be implemented before recommending any more.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), a non-partisan agency which advises Congress on Medicare-related issues, recommended reimbursement policy changes that could cut payments for diagnostic imaging services.