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February 24-25, 2025 | Washington, DC

Urge your legislators to support neuroscience research. 

Back to Neurology on the Hill

Neurology on the Hill: Issues and resources

2025 priority issues

Medicare cuts

Congress must fix the cuts to physician reimbursement under Medicare that went into effect on January 1, 2025. To bring long-term stability to practices, an inflationary update should also be included so neurologists can keep up with increased practice costs. Members of the House of Representatives should co-sponsor the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R.879).

Telehealth

Access to telehealth services is vital for many patients and families, yet important pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities are set to expire in March without action by Congress. 

Lifesaving neuroscience research

The AAN asks Congress to support robust funding for NINDS and the BRAIN Initiative to sustain both programs' momentum.

The Academy continues to fight for you and your patients throughout the year. View all of our priority issues, including drug pricing and research funding.

Previous priority issues

Issue

Status Update

Expanding telehealth

Telehealth became an essential method of delivering care for many neurologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The AAN asks Congress to preserve the progress that was made through pandemic waivers and the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act by permanently extending telehealth access and payment parity, through legislation such as the CONNECT for Health Act.

Medicare cliff

Congress eliminated three-quarters of the scheduled 8.5-percent Medicare reimbursement reduction, resulting in a net two-percent reduction in payments for 2023. While the AAN recognizes that any cuts to Medicare reimbursement continue to threaten practices and patient access to care, this lesser reduction remains a hard-fought victory for neurology. But we will not let up on the pressure in 2023 with the new Congress to ensure that our practitioners receive appropriate reimbursement for their care and expertise. The AAN also provided more than 50 pages of input to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the Physician Fee Schedule.

Lowering the cost of prescription medications

The Inflation Reduction Act contained several provisions to lower the costs of prescription drugs that were supported by the AAN, including: allow the US government to negotiate drug prices under Medicare Parts B and D; Lower Part D out-of-pocket costs to a maximum of $2,000 annually for Medicare beneficiaries; and limit future increases in the cost of Medicare medications to the rate of inflation. These new protections are a significant step forward in lowering the costs of prescription medications.

Prior authorization The AAN continues to advocate for reduced regulatory burdens across the Medicare program, including making large strides in support of bipartisan legislation that would increase transparency and streamline prior authorization in the Medicare Advantage program. The bill, the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173), passed the House and garnered over 375 combined House and Senate co-sponsors. CMS also released a proposed rules that closely aligns with the bill. The Academy will continue to work with Congress to ensure that regulatory burdens do not stand in the way of physicians providing medically necessary patient care.
Research funding The AAN consistently supports federal funding for research, including the National Institutes to Health (NIH) and BRAIN Initiative. In the fiscal year 2023, there was a $2.5 billion increase for the NIH, a $60 million increase for the BRAIN Initiative, and additional funding for the VA Neurology Centers of Excellence.
Access to cognitive care Cognitive care is characterized by high-level evaluation and management (E/M) services needed to diagnose and manage complex and often chronic conditions. The AAN's award-winning advocacy efforts continue in protecting positive changes made to the evaluation and management codes (E/M) and educating members of Congress on its benefits.  Stay current on E/M coding and documentation guidelines.

Additional opportunities 

Find out more ways to get involved in AAN advocacy efforts.

Get Involved


Advocacy resources

  • To learn what to do and what not to do in a Hill meeting, . 
  • Watch "" 

Questions?

If you have any questions or want to participate in additional advocacy opportunities, please email advocacy@aan.com.

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