Congressional Leadership Elections Help Shape AAOS’ Advocacy Efforts

Douglas W. Lundy, MD, MBA, FAAOS

One fascinating, yet often confusing, fact about the U.S. government is that it is technically a representative democracy. The United States was formed as a democratic republic in that we elect our political leaders to represent and make decisions for us. The Electoral College is yet another example of this process. During presidential elections, Americans vote for the electors of the Electoral College, who subsequently elect the president of the United States.

Congress Partially Delays 2023 Medicare Cuts in New Package

Just before the holidays, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government. Included in the package was a provision to postpone the 4 percent Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Medicare pay cut slated to begin this year, but Congress fell short of preventing the full 4.5 percent reduction to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments. The result is an approximate 2 percent payment reduction in 2023 and at least an additional 1.25 percent in 2024.