Sens. Brown and Murray Introduce Legislation to Give Additional Health Providers the Ability to Treat Medicaid Patients

Press Release

With more than 69 million Americans relying on Medicaid for their health care needs, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA) today introduced a bill to ensure access to primary care providers for Medicaid recipients.

The Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act would extend an expired provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that would guarantee reimbursement parity between doctors treating Medicaid and Medicare patients. This would also apply to other medical professionals who treat women and children, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

"Primary care providers represent a critical access point for women and families," said Brown. "We should be making it easier for providers to accept new Medicaid patients, not harder. Expanding access to care is at the heart of the health law -- and today millions more Americans have care through Medicaid. Now, we must align Medicaid reimbursements with Medicare rates to make sure these individuals can realize the promise of that coverage and get the quality care they need."

"To make sure our health care system works for patients and families, we need to ensure that when a person get sick, they are able to get the care they need, when and where they need it. Medicaid helps millions of families get quality, affordable health care coverage, and therefore plays a critical role as we work to meet this goal," said Murray. "By aligning Medicaid reimbursements with Medicare rates, and expanding eligibility to the providers women are more likely to see on a regular basis, we can build on the progress made in the Affordable Care Act, continue expanding access to primary care, and help women and families across the country stay healthy and economically secure."

Source