House Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing Today on Medicare Physician Pay Reform and Health Care Cybersecurity Bills

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a legislative hearing today on bills addressing two persistent Medicare concerns: how the program pays doctors and whether health care networks can defend against cyberattacks.

On physician payment, the subcommittee examined several proposals. The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act would limit how much Medicare physician payment rates can change from one year to the next. The Patients First Act would overhaul the performance-reporting framework that now links a portion of doctor payments to quality metrics and alternative payment participation. The Medicare Physician Data-driven Performance Payment System Act would create a new model for tying payment levels to clinical outcomes data.

Without legislative action, current law would reduce Medicare physician payments by roughly 2.5 percent for 2027 compared to 2026. Medical groups have warned that repeated year-over-year reductions can prompt physicians to limit the number of Medicare patients they see.

On cybersecurity, the subcommittee reviewed the Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act, which would set baseline security standards for health care providers, and the Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, which would direct resources specifically to smaller rural facilities. Both bills reflect congressional attention to ransomware and other attacks on health care systems that have disrupted patient care in recent years.

The hearing covered 14 bills in total. No votes were taken. Further action would require committee markup and floor consideration, a process that typically takes months or longer.