Medicare payments unaffected by government shutdown ... for now

Tuesday’s partial shutdown of the federal government may have you wondering if your Medicare payments will be delayed. The short answer is, “not immediately.”

According to a Department of Health and Human Services contingency plan(www.hhs.gov), (www.hhs.gov)“In the short term, the Medicare Program will continue largely without disruption during a lapse in appropriations.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has also reassured providers by email(www.cms.gov)(www.cms.gov), “During the time that the partial government shutdown is in effect, Medicare Administrative Contractors will continue to perform all functions related to Medicare fee-for-service claims processing and payment.”

So, for now, Medicare payments will continue to flow to physicians even as other parts of the federal government grind to a halt.

– Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment for the American Academy of Family Physicians