S.1629

Same Care, Lower Cost Act: Aligns Medicare fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings.

The Same Care, Lower Cost Act amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to align Medicare fee-for-service payment rates across ambulatory settings. It mandates the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify at least 66 ambulatory payment classifications for site neutral payments in hospital outpatient departments, ambulatory surgical centers, or other settings. The bill also reclassifies emergency department, critical care, and trauma care visits as Comprehensive APCs, packaging all items and services into a single payment.