Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are trying to block proposed cuts to Medicare physician payments next year, with only days remaining until the deadline for regulators to finalize them.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July proposed a 2.9% pay cut for doctors in the 2025 physician fee schedule. Statute requires the final rule to be published by Nov. 1. In the meantime, physician groups have ramped up efforts to urge Congress to block the planned reduction and overhaul the broader payment system.
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The Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, introduced Tuesday by Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), would eliminate cuts included in the 2025 final rule and provide a small payment increase to account for inflation.
"Medical inflation is much higher and the cost of seeing patients continues to rise," Murphy said in a news release. "Unfortunately, reimbursements continue to decline, putting immense pressure on doctors to retire, close their practices, forgo seeing new Medicare patients, or seek a less efficient employment position."
The bill's cosponsors include Reps. Dr. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Dr. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Dr. John Joyce (R-Pa.), Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Dr. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.).