Wyden pushes Bipartisan Health Care Act, Medicare reimbursement boost as government shutdown looms

As a government shutdown looms and physicians grapple with lower Medicare reimbursement rates, will a last ditch effort by a Democratic Senator restore Medicare reimbursement cuts and extend telehealth flexibilities?

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) plans to take to the Senate floor Friday afternoon to push for a unanimous consent request to pass the Bipartisan Health Care Act, according to a media advisory from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.

The bill was introduced last week and includes, among other provisions, a boost to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule conversion factor to the tune of 3.5375 percent, and extends telehealth flexibilities through 2026.

Physicians are currently dealing with a 2.83 percent cut that the last Congress failed to address during the lame duck session, in part due to efforts by then-incoming President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. On telehealth, the Medicare flexibilities are scheduled to expire at the end of the month.

You can read the full text of the legislation, or a section-by-section summary.

Media reports say the chances for Wyden's bill are not good, and the shutdown will likely be averted, as Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has agreed to not stall the package and has enough Democratic votes to pass it. The spending bill is only a temporary measure that funds the government through September 2025.