H.R. 6160 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned, Nov 19, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryChanges how Medicare pays doctors
Medicare decides how much to pay doctors based on a formula involving the value of the service, a conversion factor (a dollar amount), and where the doctor is located. Right now, there are two different payment rates starting in 2026 depending on whether a doctor participates in certain advanced payment programs. This bill would eliminate that split and use a single payment rate for all doctors, with annual increases tied to the Medicare Economic Index, which tracks price changes related to physician services.
How it affects you
If you're on Medicare, this could affect the doctors and healthcare providers available to you, since changes in how they're paid might influence which services they offer or how they participate in Medicare. The official summary doesn't spell out exactly how patients or doctors would experience the difference day-to-day.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Nov 19, 2025)
Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act
This bill modifies certain adjustments to payment amounts under the Medicare physician fee schedule.
Payment amounts under the Medicare physician fee schedule are based on a service's relative value, a conversion factor, and a geographic adjustment factor. Current law provides for separate conversion factors for physicians that are qualifying participants in advanced alternative payment models (also known as qualifying APM participants) and for other physicians beginning in 2026, with an annual update of 0.75% and 0.25%, respectively.
The bill replaces the separate conversion factors for qualifying APM participants and other physicians with a single conversion factor and provides for an update that is equal to the annual percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index, beginning in 2026. (The Medicare Economic Index is a specialized index that is generally used to determine allowed charges for physician services based on annual price changes.)
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 6160
A BILL
Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act
Sponsor: Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25) · Introduced Nov 19, 2025 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Nov 19, 2025: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.”