A new RealClearHealth op-ed by Dr. Craig Wax argues that if Congress is serious about reducing healthcare costs and increasing competition, lawmakers must reform one of the federal government’s biggest distortions: Medicare’s unequal payment system.
Dr. Wax explains how current Medicare policy allows hospital systems to charge significantly more than independent physicians for providing the exact same services, fueling consolidation, reducing patient choice, and driving up costs for taxpayers.
“Hospitals add these ‘facility fees’ to bills in every department, no matter the test or treatment. This means that even basic services like pap smears, X-rays, or checkups cost taxpayers more by a hospital than if they were performed by an independent physician.”
The solution, he argues, is straightforward: adopt site-neutral Medicare payments so providers receive the same reimbursement for the same service regardless of where it is delivered. Dr. Wax notes that this bipartisan reform would discourage unnecessary consolidation, strengthen competition, and save patients and taxpayers billions of dollars over the next decade.
“Site-neutrality is a practical, bipartisan reform to cut waste and lower healthcare costs.”
Read Dr. Craig Wax’s full RealClearHealth article to learn why Congress should build on recent bipartisan efforts and advance site-neutral payment reform to create a more competitive, affordable healthcare system.
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