Sponsors (2)
The bill preserves incentives and support for clinicians serving Medicare beneficiaries in small, rural, and underserved areas through FY2026–FY2031, trading continued federal spending (and budgetary pressure) and the risk of delaying needed program reforms for sustained participation and access.
Medicare beneficiaries and clinicians in small, rural, and underserved practices retain access to the Quality Payment Program's incentives and support through FY2026–FY2031, preserving program assistance that helps maintain care quality and participation.
Extending the Quality Payment Program likely increases federal Medicare spending, which raises costs for taxpayers and adds to federal budgetary pressure.
A straight extension without updated performance standards could delay necessary reforms to improve program efficiency or better target incentives, prolonging burdens on hospitals and clinicians and slowing improvement.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Extends the statutory coverage of the Quality Payment Program's SURS support program to include fiscal years 2026–2031.
Official title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend the Quality Payment Program-Small Practice, Underserved, and Rural Support program.
Introduced May 21, 2026 by Melanie Ann Stansbury · Last progress May 21, 2026
Extends the Quality Payment Program's Small Practice, Underserved, and Rural Support (SURS) program through fiscal year 2031 by amending the relevant Medicare statutory reference to cover fiscal years 2026–2031. The change keeps the SURS program authorized and available to support small, rural, and underserved clinician practices that participate in Medicare's Quality Payment Program for those additional years.