Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and John Larson (D-CT) introduced the Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026 in March. ASCA supports this bill, which would make essential changes to the Medicare ASC payment system. If passed, the act would help stabilize ASC reimbursements by permanently instituting the same inflationary factor used to update hospital payment rates. The legislation also would remove a budget neutrality adjustment that increasingly depresses ASC rates. “Outdated Medicare policies are limiting access to high-quality and lower-cost care,” Van Duyne says. “Our healthcare system should reward high-quality, lower-cost care, not stand in its way, like current rules fail to treat outpatient surgical centers fairly. This bipartisan legislation supports expanded access to outpatient surgery facilities and ensures our nation’s seniors can receive the best care.”