Top stories of Advocacy Update: April 2026

Get essential advocacy news and information on key national and state issues impacting physicians, patients and the health care environment. View past issues of Advocacy Update. 

Week of April 17

1. Urge your Representative to support the “Provider Reimbursement Stability Act”

   1. April 17, 2026

   2. The recently introduced “Provider Reimbursement Stability Act,” H.R. 8163, takes a major step in Medicare physician payment reform by modernizing key budget neutrality rules—ensuring fairness and predictability for medical practices and stability for physicians and patients.

2. New tool, developed in collaboration with AMA, to illustrate mental health and substance use coverage metrics

   1. April 17, 2026
   2. For the first time, with the use of the Mental Health Parity Index, health insurance companies’ own data can be used to more accurately pinpoint where increased access to care is needed and where payment disparities exist in real time.

View the April 17 issue

• April 17, 2026: National Advocacy Update
• April 17, 2026: State Advocacy Update

Week of April 10

1. Physicians open national Rx and Illicit Drug Summit

   1. April 10, 2026

   2. “Accelerating progress requires continued investment in physician-led, team-based, community-centered care. Physicians, pharmacists, public health leaders, and policymakers must work together to ensure patients with opioid use disorder and pain can access timely care and stay on a path to recovery,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD.

2. CY 2027 Medicare Advantage final rule: What physicians need to know

   1. April 10, 2026
   2. The AMA secured several meaningful wins. At the same time, the final rule weakens several mechanisms for holding plans accountable for providing timely, equitable care, and the AMA will continue pressing for stronger plan oversight in future rulemaking cycles.

3. 2027 Medicare Advantage Final Notice adopts AMA recommendation to modify risk score policy

   1. April 10, 2026
   2. Consistent with AMA policy that plans’ risk adjustments should reflect their actual costs of delivering care, the new policy will only recognize diagnosis codes for risk adjustment if there is an actual service provided to the patient, such as a test or treatment, that is associated with the diagnosis code.

View the April 10 issue

• April 10, 2026: National Advocacy Update

Week of April 3

1. Bipartisan House members introduce legislation to reform budget neutrality in the fee schedule

   1. April 3, 2026

   2. The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (H.R. 8163) was introduced on March 30. This AMA-supported legislation makes a number of targeted improvements to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

2. New Hampshire governor vetoes HB 349, protecting patient safety in eye surgery

   1. April 3, 2026
   2. HB 349 would have authorized optometrists to perform intricate surgical procedures on and around the eye. As AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, noted in his letter to Governor Ayotte urging the veto, optometrists are essential providers of routine vision care, but only ophthalmologists—who complete four years of medical school followed by four to six years of residency and fellowship training—are qualified to manage and safely perform surgery on and around the eye.

View the April 3 issue

• April 3, 2026: National Advocacy Update
• April 3, 2026: State Advocacy Update

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