Healthcare (Primary Care)

The Pay PCPs Act of 2026 authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a hybrid payment model for Medicare primary care providers, combining predictable monthly payments with traditional fee-for-service reimbursements. This new structure aims to fund activities that are currently difficult to bill individually, such as patient communications and team-based care coordination, while allowing providers to opt into the program voluntarily. Additionally, the bill reduces beneficiary out-of-pocket costs by 50% for covered primary care services when patients designate a specific provider as their usual source of care. To support these changes, the legislation appropriates $10 billion over five years and establishes a temporary technical advisory committee to review and improve how Medicare values physician services.

This bill requires physicians performing abortions to have hospital admitting privileges within 15 miles of the procedure location and to inform patients about nearby facilities for follow-up care if complications arise. It also sets conditions for abortion clinics receiving federal funds, mandating state licensing and compliance with outpatient surgery center standards (excluding certificate-of-need requirements). Violations by physicians could result in fines or up to two years in prison. The bill directly affects healthcare providers and clinics, not pregnant patients, and amends Title 18 of the U.S. Code to establish these requirements.

This bill repeals a federal law (18 U.S.C. § 248) that prohibited blocking access to clinic entrances, particularly abortion clinics. It directly affects protesters who block clinic entrances and law enforcement handling such protests by removing the federal criminal penalty for this action. The key provision is the complete repeal of Section 248, meaning blocking clinic access would no longer be a federal crime under this law, applying to prosecutions starting on or after the bill's enactment date.