Congress·In Committee·S. 1031

Sen. Tillis Introduces the ROCR Act to Overhaul Medicare Cancer Treatment Payments

ROCR Value Based Program Act

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Bipartisan ROCR Act Seeks to Overhaul Medicare Radiation Therapy Payments

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

↔Companion bill: Rep. Fitzpatrick Proposes Bundled Medicare Payments for Cancer Care and Free Rides for Patients

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill creates a new "flat fee" payment system for radiation therapy under Medicare. Instead of paying for every single visit or test, Medicare would pay one set price for a full course of treatment for 15 common types of cancer, including breast, lung, and prostate cancer.
The plan includes a special $500 "add-on" payment to help patients who struggle to get to their appointments. This money can be used for ride-shares, buses, or car services to make sure patients don't miss life-saving treatments because they lack transportation.
To ensure high-quality care, radiation clinics would be required to get official accreditation and use modern electronic health records. Clinics that fail to meet these quality standards would see their Medicare payments cut by 2.5%.
The bill aims to make cancer care more predictable and stable. It prevents the government from cutting pay for radiation services while the new system is being built and ensures that doctors are paid the same amount whether they treat patients in a hospital or a private office.

HealthcareInfrastructure Transportation

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 13, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Mar 13, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 1 year of enactment

New ROCR Program regulations are finalized

The Department of Health and Human Services must write and publish the detailed rules for the new bundled payment system within one year of the bill becoming law, including payment rates and quality standards. Until these rules take effect, current radiation therapy payment rates are frozen — they cannot be cut.

2 years after program launch

Accreditation penalties kick in for non-compliant providers

Two years after the program starts, radiation therapy clinics that haven't obtained proper accreditation will see their Medicare payments reduced by 2.5%. This means patients in areas served by non-accredited clinics could face access challenges if those clinics reduce services.

3 years after enactment

GAO report on radiation therapy deserts is due

Within three years of enactment, Congress will receive a report identifying areas of the country where people lack reasonable access to radiation therapy. This could lead to new grants or loans to bring cancer treatment closer to underserved communities.

Related News

4 articles

AuntMinnie·12 months ago

ASTRO vice chair highlights momentum for ROCR Act

The ROCR Act aims to shift radiation reimbursement from fee-for-service to bundled payments. It includes a $500 bonus for accredited centers and addresses transportation barriers through the HEART initiative, providing assistance for underserved patients to complete their treatments.

C+

AuntMinnie·about 1 year ago

Bipartisan legislation recommends ROCR value-based payments

Introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the ROCR Act of 2025 proposes patient-specific episode-based payments and quality standards. The bill seeks to unify technical payments across hospital and community settings while providing transportation support for patients.

American Bar Association·10 months ago

The ROCR Act Continues to Gain Steam

The bipartisan ROCR Act of 2025 aims to modernize Medicare reimbursement for radiation therapy by shifting to a bundled, episode-based payment structure. It emphasizes practice accreditation, patient safety, and equitable access, with projected Medicare savings of $200 million over ten years.

Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 2120Identical bill

ROCR Value Based Program Act

Mar 14 — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.