S. 1776, the Medicare Beneficiary Co-Pay Fairness Act, limits what Medicare patients must pay out-of-pocket when having surgery at ambulatory surgical centers (outpatient surgery facilities). Currently, Medicare patients can face very high co-payments for these procedures, sometimes exceeding what they would pay for the same surgery in a hospital. This bill caps those co-payments at the amount of the annual hospital deductible, ensuring patients don't pay more than they would in a hospital setting. Medicare will reimburse the surgical centers for any reduction in co-payment amounts. The changes take effect on January 1, 2026, and the bill has bipartisan sponsorship from Senators Cassidy and Blumenthal.
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