CHICAGO —In a sign of legislative momentum, 41 senators are supporting efforts to prevent a pending 2.8 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that will go into effect Jan. 1.
The bipartisan letter (PDF) led by Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., to Senate leaders says the cuts would interfere with the ability of physicians to provide high-quality care.
“These continued payment cuts undermine the ability of independent clinical practices – especially in rural and underserved areas— to care for their communities,” the letter said.
The Senate letter follows one from the American Medical Association (AMA) and 127 other state medical associations and national medical societies asking (PDF) Congress to use these last few congressional days to prevent the scheduled cuts.
The letter to congressional leaders also urges Congress to provide a positive payment update for 2025. All 50 state medical societies—and D.C.—as well as 77 national medical societies signed.
Earlier, a bipartisan coalition of 233 House members signed a Dear Colleague that called for a legislative fix to the cut and a payment update to reflect inflationary pressures.
With few days left to legislate, the nation’s physicians are asking to make this a priority during the lame duck session.
The entire letter and list of signatories are here (PDF).
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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.
