HLS 24RS-364 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 104
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREEMAN
MEDICARE: Memorializes the United States Congress to preserve patient access to
physician care by reforming the Medicare physician payment system
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to preserve
3 patient access to physician care by enacting systemic reform to the Medicare
4 physician payment system and providing an annual inflationary update to physician
5 fees based on the Medicare Economic Index for Medicare physician services.
6 WHEREAS, elderly and disabled patients deserve access to physicians with
7specialized training and rely on Medicare to supplement the cost of specialized health care;
8and
9 WHEREAS, individuals who depend on Medicare are at serious risk of losing access
10to physician care; and
11 WHEREAS, physicians are the only healthcare provider type whose Medicare
12payments do not automatically receive an annual inflationary update; and
13 WHEREAS, Medicare payments to physicians have been steadily declining relative
14to inflation and have lagged behind the rate of inflation growth by twenty-six percent since
152001; and
16 WHEREAS, physicians are struggling to keep their practices open due to inflation
17and burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic; and
18 WHEREAS, there have been three consecutive cuts to Medicare within the past three
19years totaling a ten percent cost reduction; and
20 WHEREAS, the lack of adequate reimbursement and rising practice costs may force
21physicians to stop treating Medicare patients or close their practices permanently; and
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HCR NO. 104
1 WHEREAS, current policies disproportionately impact small, independent, and rural
2physician practices, as well as those treating low-income or historically minoritized or
3marginalized patient communities.
4 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
5memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to preserve
6patient access to physician care by enacting systemic reform to the Medicare physician
7payment system and providing an annual inflationary update to physician fees based on the
8Medicare Economic Index for Medicare physician services.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
10governor, the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United
11States Congress, and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 104 Original 2024 Regular Session Freeman
Memorializes the United States Congress to preserve patient access to physician care by
reforming the Medicare physician payment system.
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