Bill introduced in Senate to reverse Medicare physician payment cuts
On May 7, Senator Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), introduced the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025 (S. 1640) in the Senate.
The Senate bill, like its House counterpart (H.R. 879) introduced earlier this year, takes a meaningful step toward reestablishing Medicare payment stability by temporarily reversing the 2.83% cut to Medicare physician payments that went into effect in January of this year. The bill would also provide a much-needed 2% positive payment update from June through Dec. 2025.
The AMA sent a letter (PDF) in strong support of S. 1640, which would provide physician practices with crucial relief after facing five consecutive years of Medicare payment cuts. When adjusted for inflation in practice costs, Medicare physician payments have declined 33% (PDF) since 2001.
The AMA will work to advance this legislation and looks forward to continued collaboration with Congress on long-term structural reform to protect patient access and stabilize the Medicare physician payment system.
