Yesterday, the American Physical Therapy Association and fellow members of the Therapy Cap Coalition participated in the 2nd grassroots campaign to ensure that Congress addresses the Medicare Therapy Cap before December 31, 2013!
At the first grassroots campaign back in November 1,000 APTA members sent more than 3,000 e-mails to Capitol Hill, asking Congress to address the therapy cap by December 31, 2013. An additional 250 nonmembers, including patients, sent 801 e-mails to members of Congress.
Yesterday was the big push…BUT THERE ARE 28 DAYS LEFT for you to get your advocacy on:
#StopTheTherapyCap
What is the Therapy Cap?
Here is some info from APTA’s website:
In 1997, Congress passed the Balanced Budget Act, which created the sustainable growth rate reform (SGR) formula and the Medicare therapy cap. These policies were enacted as cost saving measures. Since that time, Congress has continually acted to address the flawed SGR formula and to prevent a hard cap on outpatient therapy services with short-term fixes.
This year, Congress is looking to permanently reform the sustainable growth rate formula so these annual fixes are no longer necessary. APTA has been meeting with legislators throughout the year, emphasizing the need to include a full repeal of the Medicare therapy cap in any SGR reform package that moves in Congress before December 31, 2013.
If Congress fixes the SGR formula before the end of the year but does not repeal the cap, it is likely that there will be a hard cap on therapy services in 2014. Every year, the extension of the exceptions process is included in a larger legislative package, also known as the “doc fix,” that addresses the SGR formula. Without the “doc fix,” there may not be an opportunity to include the extension of the exceptions process in a larger legislative vehicle before December 31.
You can help! Share these links :
- APTA Members: Go to APTA’s Legislative Action Center, click “Take Action” under “Stop the Medicare Therapy Cap & Prevent SGR Payment Cuts,” and follow the instructions. If you have time, please personalize the e-mail and tell Congress how the cap impacts your patients.
- Nonmember PTs/PTAs and Patients: E-mail your legislators using our Patient Action Center. Simply enter your zip code and click “Go!”
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