Center for Medicare Advocacy calls for ending therapy caps in Medicare
Medicare-covered outpatient physical, speech and occupational therapy services are subject to an annual dollar-amount payment cap. As a result, many Medicare beneficiaries have their therapy terminate prematurely when they reach the cap. While there is an Exceptions process in place that allows beneficiaries to receive therapy in excess of the caps, it is set to expire on March 31, 2014. Moreover, the existing process is burdensome and many providers of services are slow to assist beneficiaries in obtaining therapy cap…
It’s time to reduce barriers to care, not exacerbate them. We urge Congress to repeal the Medicare outpatient therapy caps. As recently highlighted by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, longer-term, ongoing therapy can be the key to functionality and life-changing improvements.