As Congress seems to be for methods to cut back well being care prices for sufferers and the Medicare program, one method that’s attracting bipartisan consideration is site-neutral funds for outpatient providers. The concept is that Medicare would pay the identical quantity for a service no matter the place it’s supplied — a departure from present Medicare reimbursement insurance policies, which usually pay larger charges for providers supplied in hospital outpatient clinics in contrast with unbiased doctor practices and outpatient surgical procedure facilities.

On June 17, a panel of consultants participated in a 45-minute dialogue with Larry Levitt, govt vp of well being coverage at KFF. They mentioned the idea of location-neutral funds. Amongst different issues, they mentioned why it has develop into an issue for policymakers and personal payers like insurers and employers, how Medicare funds at present work, how numerous proposals would change the regulation, and what the potential impacts of these adjustments can be.

Moderator

• Larry Levitt, Government Vice President for Well being Coverage, KFF

Panel members

• Zack Cooper, Affiliate Professor of Public Well being (Well being Coverage), Affiliate Professor of Economics, and Affiliate Professor on the Establishment for Social and Coverage Research, Yale College
• Zachary Levinson, Challenge Director, KFF Challenge on Hospital Prices, KFF
• Ashley Thompson, Senior Vice President, Public Coverage Evaluation and Growth, American Hospital Affiliation

KFF’s digital Well being Wonk Store sequence options in-depth coverage discussions with consultants who look past the headlines to supply deeper insights.