The following statement is attributable to:
Bruce A. Scott, M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“The AMA appreciates that the bill adopted today addresses the problem of decreasing Medicare payment (PDF) for physician services. Continued cuts threaten access to care for America’s seniors, and the inclusion of an update for 2026 that partially accounts for inflation is an important step. This must, however, represent only the first step to ensuring that Medicare payments keep up with inflation over the long term, as they do for other Medicare providers.
“While we are also pleased that the bill did not include more severe Medicaid provisions such as direct FMAP cuts or per capita caps, we remain concerned that many of the Medicaid and ACA savings provisions will have a significant and negative impact on the ability of eligible individuals to access and maintain coverage. Federal programs should seek to facilitate and maintain enrollment of eligible individuals, not erect bureaucratic barriers to care. As the bill moves forward, we urge the Senate to take the necessary steps to ensure that efforts to address waste, fraud and abuse do not result in millions of patients losing access to coverage. Rural and underserved communities will be most affected by these changes.
“Also, as currently drafted, this legislation would restrict access to medical school loans and loan forgiveness—a change that could significantly affect the makeup of the physician workforce and where physicians choose to practice. Given the high cost of medical education, most students depend on federal loans to finance their training.”
Here is the AMA’s letter (PDF) to House leaders.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
