June 11, 2025
Washington, DC—Today, a coalition of 49 leading healthcare organizations sent letters to congressional committees urging support for the Medicare Beneficiary Co-Pay Fairness Act of 2025 (H.R. 3006/S.1776).
The letters, addressed to the relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction—the US House Committees on Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means, and the US Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP)—advocate for legislator support of the bill, which seeks to cap the maximum Medicare beneficiary copayment for procedures performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) at the inpatient deductible. This cap already exists for procedures performed in hospital outpatient departments.
The legislation is sponsored in the House of Representatives by Mike Kelly (R-PA), Robert Menendez Jr. (D-NJ), Troy Balderson (R-OH) and John Larson (D-CT), and in the Senate by Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
“The support of these organizations shows the widespread appreciation for surgery centers and the services they provide,” says ASCA Chief Advocacy Officer Kara Newbury. “The absence of a limit on beneficiary coinsurance creates greater patient expense without justification, limiting their access to the high-quality, low-cost care that ASCs provide.”
More than 6,300 Medicare-certified ASCs operate in the US, performing a wide variety of outpatient procedures. Surgery centers represent a significant source of savings for both patients and payers because they can perform procedures with efficiency and at a lower cost than other settings. According to a 2020 analysis from KNG Health Consulting, surgery centers are projected to reduce Medicare program costs by $73.4 billion between 2019 and 2028.
Read the House committees letter.
Read the Senate committees letter.