October 5, 2023
On October 5, ASCA submitted comments in response to the Request for Information: Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas released by US House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) on September 7. The chairman requested stakeholder input on solutions to reshape access to healthcare for rural and underserved communities, with specific requests for input on aligning sites of service, geographic payment differences, sustainable provider and facility financing, and healthcare workforce.
ASCA’s comments highlighted how
- ASCs continue to save Medicare billions of dollars annually merely by existing as an alternative to hospitals—400 ASCs currently have rural designation, providing critical access to identical outpatient surgeries as hospitals for rural patients at a fraction of the price; and
- capping ASC copayments at the same level as hospital outpatient department copayments (currently set at $1,600) through implementation of the “copay cap” provision of H.R. 972, the Outpatient Surgery Quality and Access Act of 2023, would create better access to our lower-cost setting for lower-income patients.