Last week President Biden signed into law the Medicare Sequester Relief Act that pauses through the end of the year an automatic 2% cut for all Medicare payments to health care providers. The bill enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress, passing 384-38 in the U.S. House of Representatives and 90-2 in the Senate.

Congress initially paused the cuts last year as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded and have made several extensions since. Although the moratorium on the 2% reduction ended on March 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has not been enforcing the cuts in anticipation of the Sequester Relief Act passing to ensure providers were not negatively impacted.

The moratorium extension gives health care providers much-needed financial relief as they continue to grapple with the pandemic that has stretched resources and created unprecedented challenges in the delivery of quality care.