# 119-hr-6160: Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act

119-hr-6160, Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6160
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6160
- Congress: 119
- Title: Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

This bill would move the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to a **single conversion factor** and tie each year's update to the Medicare Economic Index, with the change taking effect for 2026. - Physicians and clinicians: Payment scaling for physician services would be consolidated under one conversion factor starting in 2026, instead of the current two-factor arrangement. - Secretary of Health and Human Services: The Secretary would set each annual update equal to the estimated percentage increase in the Medicare Economic Index. - Statutory text and rulemaking: The bill removes language that refers to two separate conversion factors and clauses that end in 2025 so the single-factor framework applies after 2025.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large] (R-GU), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9] (R-PA), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6] (D-CA), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Medicare doctor pay tied to inflation: mixed, medium. Starting in 2026, Medicare would use one payment formula for doctor services, not two. Each year, that formula’s update would equal the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) increase the Secretary estimates. That could raise or lower doctor pay depending on the MEI that year. People on Medicare could see e…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7567: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-6160 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6160)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7567: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7567)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6160 (as of 2026-10-17).