Gary Palmer has refiled the Prevent Racism in Medicare Act (PRIMA) a bill he describes as necessary to “prohibit healthcare providers from being forced to adhere to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) racially discriminatory policies.”
“All Americans should be treated the same by their doctors, regardless of race, and the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements should not be impacted one way or the other,” said Palmer. “This rule by HHS incentivizes Critical Race Theory if your doctor wants to be reimbursed at a higher rate. Dividing Americans along racial lines in the doctor’s office will continuing eroding confidence in our institutions. My bill will prevent this destructive ideology from being implemented and ensure no patient is discriminated against.”
According to a one-pager provided by Palmer’s office, “The Biden Administration’s woke agenda is limiting healthcare access for senior citizens. The CY2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule includes a provision that would provide a financial incentive for doctors to create and implement a so-called anti-racism plan that could actually incentivize discrimination. This rule will further undermine patient confidence in our health care system by incentivizing a form of discrimination that gives preferential treatment based on misguided racial guidelines.”
Palmer’s office says that “Congressman Palmer addressed this issue at the April 27th Energy & Commerce Hearing, asking Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about the recently enacted rule. Under oath, Secretary Becerra claimed the rule did not exist and blamed the confusion on ‘misinformation.’ The rule can be found here (pg 65969 of the register, or pg 974 of the PDF browser) and clearly lays out guidelines for an ‘Anti-Racism Plan’ to ensure that clinics are ‘aligned with a commitment to antiracism and an understanding of race as a political and social construct, not a physiological one.”
Co-sponsors include Texas Representative Michael Cloud, Wisconsin Representative Tom Tiffany, and Arizona’s Representative Andy Biggs.
