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Today, Congressman Zinke sent a letter along with several other lawmakers to House and Senate leadership urging Congressional action to prevent the impending 3.37% cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians. This potential 3.37% reduction comes after three years of consecutive cuts to Medicare services. If Congress does not act this year, Medicare payments will have been cut by almost 10% in four years, which is simply unsustainable for our nation's medical groups, physicians, and other health care providers. If these Medicare cuts are not prevented, medical groups and integrated systems of care especially in Montana will be forced to eliminate services, furlough staff, implement hiring freezes, and delay population health initiatives.

Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke released the following statement after voting in support of the H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 320-71. H.R. 5378 is reform-oriented legislation designed to lower the cost of health care and increase price transparency for patients in Montana and across the nation.

Congressman Ryan Zinke alongside the Select Committee on the CCP Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), today sent a letter to the President of the University of Montana (UMT), Seth Bodnar, with concern about UMT's promotion of a summer 2024 study trip to China that is hosted and funded by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF).

On November 28, Congressman Ryan Zinke was informed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) delayed the enactment of their proposed air ambulance reimbursement ruling until 2025 in response to Zinke’s continued scrutiny over the costly and potentially deadly consequences. The rule previously set to be enacted February 2024 would dramatically cut the amount the VA pays for air and specialty ambulance services for veterans by reverting to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement rates based off data from more than 20 years ago. The proposal, while not a front-page issue, has been met with opposition from local and national veteran service organizations and emergency services. Several rural communities adopted similar reimbursement rates and have lost all ambulatory service as a result.

Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01), along with Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) and Senator Steve Daines (MT) sent a letter on Friday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Montana District Court to delay a final decision by 120 days for the North American Wolverine's listing in the Federal Registry.