February 24-25, 2025 | Washington, DC
Neurology on the Hill: Issues and Resources
2024 Priority Issues
Medicare Cuts
Remedy the nearly 3.4-percent cut to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule conversion factor. Urge the House to co-sponsor The Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, H.R. 2474, to help ensure physician practices can keep up with inflation.
Win! Update as of May 2024: As part of the FY 2024 budget, Congress partially addressed the nearly 3.4-percent cut to the MPFS conversion factor by including a 1.68-percent increase to the conversion factor initially set by CMS. That update went into effect on March 9, 2024.
Safe Step Act
The Safe Step Act, S. 652/H.R. 2630 addresses the growing burden of step therapy protocols in employer-sponsored health plans.
Update as of May 2024: The Pharmacy Benefit Reform Manager package that included the Safe Step Act did not come together in time to be included in either FY 2024 appropriations package. The AAN continues to push members of Congress to co-sponsor this bill and to have it considered this year.
Support Medical Research and Funding
The AAN asks Congress to maintain robust funding for NINDS and the BRAIN Initiative to sustain both programs' momentum.
Update as of May 2024: The congressionally appropriated budget for NINDS increased in FY24, although there was a decrease in funding for the BRAIN Initiative. The increased investment in NINDS is welcome under the fiscal constraints of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The Academy continues to fight for you and your patients throughout the year. View all of our priority issues, including drug pricing and research funding.
Previous Priorty Issues
|
Issue |
Status Update |
|
Expanding Telehealth |
Telehealth became an essential method of delivering care for many neurologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The AAN asks Congress to preserve the progress that was made through pandemic waivers and the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act by permanently extending telehealth access and payment parity, through legislation such as the CONNECT for Health Act. |
|
Medicare Cliff |
Congress eliminated three-quarters of the scheduled 8.5-percent Medicare reimbursement reduction, resulting in a net two-percent reduction in payments for 2023. While the AAN recognizes that any cuts to Medicare reimbursement continue to threaten practices and patient access to care, this lesser reduction remains a hard-fought victory for neurology. But we will not let up on the pressure in 2023 with the new Congress to ensure that our practitioners receive appropriate reimbursement for their care and expertise. The AAN also provided more than 50 pages of input to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the Physician Fee Schedule. |
|
Lowering the Cost of Prescription Medications |
The Inflation Reduction Act contained several provisions to lower the costs of prescription drugs that were supported by the AAN, including: allow the US government to negotiate drug prices under Medicare Parts B and D; Lower Part D out-of-pocket costs to a maximum of $2,000 annually for Medicare beneficiaries; and limit future increases in the cost of Medicare medications to the rate of inflation. These new protections are a significant step forward in lowering the costs of prescription medications. |
| Prior Authorization | The AAN continues to advocate for reduced regulatory burdens across the Medicare program, including making large strides in support of bipartisan legislation that would increase transparency and streamline prior authorization in the Medicare Advantage program. The bill, the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173), passed the House and garnered over 375 combined House and Senate co-sponsors. CMS also released a proposed rules that closely aligns with the bill. The Academy will continue to work with Congress to ensure that regulatory burdens do not stand in the way of physicians providing medically necessary patient care. |
| Research Funding | The AAN consistently supports federal funding for research, including the National Institutes to Health (NIH) and BRAIN Initiative. In the fiscal year 2023, there was a $2.5 billion increase for the NIH, a $60 million increase for the BRAIN Initiative, and additional funding for the VA Neurology Centers of Excellence. |
| Access to Cognitive Care | Cognitive care is characterized by high-level evaluation and management (E/M) services needed to diagnose and manage complex and often chronic conditions. The AAN's award-winning advocacy efforts continue in protecting positive changes made to the evaluation and management codes (E/M) and educating members of Congress on its benefits. Stay current on E/M coding and documentation guidelines. |
Additional opportunities
Find out more ways to get involved in AAN Advocacy efforts
advocacy resources
- US House of Representatives
- US Senate
- To learn what to do and what not to do in a Hill meeting, watch "Lobbying: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".
- Watch "How Does AAN Advocacy Work?"