It’s Libra Season, the gang is all together, and we’re here to discuss the most pertinent issue of the moment: Lauren (aka Diva 1) and her birthday adventure. In less important news, the gang also tackles the upcoming midterm elections, cutting through the campaign noise to unpack what the 2026 election could mean for AMGA members through the end of the year—and how they should prepare. Then it’s on to the December lame-duck session: telehealth extensions, physician payment reform, must-pass legislation, potential offsets, and the perennial question: What can Congress actually get across the finish line before the year ends? Finally, we look beyond the lame duck to the next Congress, covering Medicaid and ACA coverage, Medicare Advantage, drug pricing, 340B, prior authorization, consolidation, and more—and give AMGA members practical steps to prepare for what’s coming.

Buried in the Physician Fee Schedule is a proposal that could cut Medicare payments in half for millions of same-day office visits. Changes to Modifier -25 would cut same-day services in half for whichever of those two services is worth less, framed as an "efficiency" adjustment — and CMS admits it'll be watching for practices that reschedule visits to get around it. In this episode, the AMGA team breaks down the what’s happening with same-day services, why CMS says this is really about pushing patients toward primary care, and what happened when AMGA sat down with CMS leadership, the White House Domestic Policy Council, and a Senate office to make the case against it.

The public policy legislative team is back to discuss Congress’s return to session and its abrupt departure. Expect sidebar conversations discussing astrology, the use of therapy-speech, and why members of Congress needed to return to the campaign trail posthaste. Additional details and all episodes are available on the AMGA website.