Legislative & Advocacy Highlights | December 2024

December 23, 2024

Posted By: Kim Parker-Guerrero in Practice & Advocacy,

FAL Briefing Memo December 2024

U.S. Congress

Year-End Legislative Package: With the federal government set to run out of funding on December 20th and numerous critical health programs set to expire on December 31st, negotiations on Capitol Hill for a possible year-end package continue to heat up. As of Friday, December 13, 2024, the current proposed deal includes a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities, a 2.5% payment boost to the Medicare Fee Schedule’s conversion factor, extension of other critical federal programs including reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, and a two-year reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act (PAHP), and funding of community health centers among other items. Inclusion of the APTA-supported Prior Authorization legislation in the package is also still a possibility. The cost of the deal could be roughly $25 billion -- with most funding offsets anticipated to come from a five-month extension of the Medicare sequester and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms. However, the proposed legislative deal still faces several hurdles and is not a done deal yet. Stay tuned for updates in the days ahead.
2024 APTA Public Service Award: On November 25, 2024, APTA staff along with representatives from APTA Delaware presented Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., with the 2024 APTA Public Service Award, for her support and dedication to advancing the physical therapy profession. During her time in the U.S. House, Rep. Blunt Rochester has served as the lead Democratic co-sponsor of the Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act (H.R. 2480), advocated against across-the-board cuts under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and supporting legislation that added funding to the Medicare fee schedule to mitigate planned cuts, and co sponsored APTA-supported bills that focus on increasing access to health care in rural areas, expanding the health care workforce, addressing administrative burden, and telehealth initiatives. These include the APTA-supported Expanded Telehealth Access Act to make PTs and PTAs permanent authorized providers of telehealth under Medicare, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act aimed at addressing prior authorization by MA plans, the EMPOWER Act to allow general supervision of physical therapist assistants, and the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act. The Congresswoman (now Senator-elect) was elected last month to the U.S. Senate. The APTA Public Service Award, established in 1991 by APTA's Board of Directors, annually recognizes public servants who have demonstrated support and leadership for the physical therapy profession.

TRICARE Direct Access Win in NDAA: The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives released the consolidated text of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on December 7th, 2024. This legislation, which funds the military and defense sector, is considered one of the final must-pass pieces of legislation for the 118th Congress. The bill contains a provision ordering the Secretary of Defense to waive TRICARE referral requirements for active-duty servicemembers seeking physical therapy care in a military medical facility. This is a significant step for direct access throughout the Department of Defense and mirrors the DoD’s decision from January of this year to allow direct access to physical therapy throughout the DoD’s own system by the end of 2025.

Executive Branch

Incoming Trump Administration: President-elect Trump will begin his administration on January 20, 2025, two weeks after the 119th Congress is sworn in. The White House, Senate, and House will be under Republican leadership, and will primarily share a policy agenda addressing healthcare programs. President-elect Trump has made his initial nominations for his healthcare team; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been nominated for consideration as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as Director of the National Institutes of Health and Jim O’Neill as Deputy Secretary at HHS.

Advocate Engagement Opportunities

Public Policy Priorities, 2025-2026: The next edition of the APTA Public Policy Priorities, 2025- 2026, is scheduled to be published and released to members, media, and policymakers at the end of January 2025 to coincide with the start of the new 119th session of the U.S. Congress. Information and details will be provided to FALs, Key Contacts, and Component Leaders prior to its release.