APTQI Commends Congressional Letter Calling for Medicare Physician Fee Reform
APTQI commends the 233 members of the U.S. House—a bipartisan majority of Representatives—who signed a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) urging Congress to address proposed physician payment cuts in the Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Proposed Rule. The letter asks Congress to ensure the MPFS accurately reflects the rising costs of running a practice and delivering patient care, both of which have been rising steadily – especially for those living in rural or underserved communities.
In the bipartisan letter to Representatives Johnson and Jeffries, lawmakers note continued Medicare payment cuts force medical groups and integrated health systems to scale back services, delay transitioning to innovative/value-based care systems, and limit patient access throughout the nation. The letter calls for, “legislative fixes that not only stop another damaging round of cuts to Medicare payments, but also provide greater certainty and stability for clinicians serving Medicare beneficiaries,” noting that the scheduled -2.8% reduction marks the fifth consecutive year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has lowered physician payments.
Just last month, APTQI signed a similar coalition letter calling on Congress to address systemic flaws in the MPFS, particularly the -2.8% payment reduction for Medicare physician payments. The letter calls for bipartisan legislative solutions that push for a permanent, annual inflationary update in Medicare equivalent to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), including adjustments to the threshold that reflect current costs and caps MPFS conversion factor changes.
With strong bipartisan support, APTQI is hopeful that legislative action on MPFS cuts will ensue before the end of 2024. We appreciate this action by House lawmakers and recognize it as an important step in combatting additional Medicare reimbursement cuts, safeguarding financial security for providers, and protecting patient access to care.
To read the bipartisan MPFS reform letter, click here.