H.R. 2810, the "Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013"

H.R. 2810 is a bipartisan bill introduced by Health Subcommittee Vice Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., Full Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Full Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman, Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts, and Rep. John Dingell on July 24, 2013.  The bill amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and reform Medicare payments for physicians’ services to transform the nation’s current health care payment system from one that rewards volume to one that improves value through a focus on quality, patient outcomes, and efficiency.

On February 4, 2014, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman introduced H.R. 4015, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would replace the broken Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula with an improved payment system that rewards quality, efficiency and innovation.  The bill merges the proposals passed overwhelmingly by each committee of jurisdiction last year, including H.R. 2810.

Despite H.R. 4015's bipartisan beginnings, the House Republicans added a poison-pill offset that would cause 13 million people to lose insurance coverage and would raise premiums by 10% to 20%.  The House passed the amended version of H.R. 4015 on March 14, 2014.