This week, the co-chairs of the Congressional Doctors Caucus released draft physician payment reform legislation. The bipartisan legislation, which is expected to be introduced in May, would take steps to improve physician reimbursement within Medicare. The current draft of the bill would provide a small annual inflationary update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The legislative draft also includes a provision to provide an additional add-on payment to primary care providers and other specialties over a 5-year period. On April 9th, we sent a letter to the Doctors Caucus co-chairs urging them to make endocrinologists and other non-procedural specialists eligible for this proposed add-on payment. The current draft of the legislation would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine what specialties would be eligible for the add-on. We will continue to watch this issue closely and advocate for adequate payment reform for endocrinologists.
On March 25, historic legislation to make insulin more affordable was introduced in the US Senate. The Endocrine Society has endorsed this legislation, and we need your help asking your Senators to cosponsor and advance the INSULIN Act in the Senate HELP Committee. The INSULIN Act would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for people with private insurance, protecting access to this life-saving medication for millions of people with diabetes. The legislation also would create a program to provide lower cost insulin to the uninsured. We urge our US-based members to take action through our campaign to let your Senators hear from you about the importance of cosponsoring this legislation and supporting this bill.
On April 29, the European Parliament voted to retain important provisions to minimize exposure to carcinogens, mutagens, and reprotoxic substances (CMRs) under the Cosmetics Regulation, as part of the Chemicals Omnibus. The Endocrine Society partnered with the European Society for Endocrinology (ESE) and European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) to advise policymakers through a joint letter on the chemicals omnibus. Prior to the vote the Endocrine Society and ESE also contacted Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on leading committees to urge that existing protections be upheld. The final compromise negotiated between the major political parties keeps most of the existing controls intact and rejects the Commission’s proposed weakening to allow certain CMRs to be present in cosmetics. A cross-party group of over 30 MEPs also tabled amendments calling for a ban on EDCs and PFAS in cosmetics, based on the existing ban on EDCs and PFAS in toys. Those amendments, however, were not adopted since they were outside the general compromise text. Several MEPs responded to our joint letter indicating their support for our position and gratitude for providing a science-based rationale for our positions.
We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Contact your US representatives or European Members of Parliament through our online platform. Take action and make a difference today.
