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The AHA Feb. 28 voiced support for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's proposal to reduce beneficiary cost-sharing at critical access hospitals while holding those hospitals harmless.

However, the AHA urged MedPAC to more closely examine the potential impacts of proposed reductions to beneficiary cost-sharing at rural health clinics, while not holding those clinics harmless. Specifically, the AHA urged MedPAC to ensure that total payments to RHCs remain unchanged, and that any reductions in RHC payments resulting from cuts in beneficiary cost-sharing be made up by the Medicare program.

The commission will meet March 6-7.