“Don’t Cut Docs!”

ATTENTION:

It’s up to YOU to tell Congress that another round of dramatic Medicare cuts would hurt patients and doctors. These cuts CAN be prevented. Tell Congress to quit playing politics with patients and share YOUR story about these cuts would affect YOU!

Use the secure form above to add your name to the following letter to your Representative in Congress: 

I write you today to inform you of the dire need to address the staggering cuts that are set to apply to all healthcare providers under Medicare. Specifically, without action from Congress, Medicare payments to physician practices will drop by nearly 3% in January, a steep funding cliff that is compounded by increasing operating costs due to inflation.

To be clear, patients and providers agree that cuts to Medicare reimbursement are cuts to Medicare. The latest polling conducted by Remington Research Group of over 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries underscores the widespread concern among Americans regarding these constant cuts. The key findings include:

• 85% of Americans are concerned about reimbursement cuts to doctors.

• Nearly half of Americans have experienced delays or impediments to receiving vital diagnostic imaging services over the past two years, including closures of doctor’s offices or imaging centers, having to travel farther for care, and longer times to schedule and receive imaging care.

• Over three-quarters of Americans oppose the administration’s plan to cut reimbursement to imaging services and believe that cutting payments to healthcare providers for Medicare services is equivalent to a Medicare cut.

• Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe we should be investing more in diagnostic imaging, with 79% agreeing that the government should be investing more in healthcare services, including lifesaving diagnostic imaging like mammography.

• Over three-quarters of Americans believe every American should have access to healthcare services regardless of geography or individual characteristics.

Congress should initiate comprehensive reform of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to ensure fair treatment across all provider types, ensuring that medical practices are able to maintain their ability to operate in the face of rising costs. In the short-term, the bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act (H.R. 10073) has been introduced in the House to prevent this looming cut and provide a 1.8% payment update in 2025, helping to stabilize practices and support quality care for patients. Passing this legislation is crucial for maintaining access to timely healthcare, especially for older adults and people with disabilities.

Longer term, physicians should not continually face the threat of significant cuts that harm those in need of care. While hospital services receive substantial annual reimbursement increases, independent physicians see concurrent reductions, driving consolidation and limiting care accessibility. Congress must address these significant cuts and advance long-term, meaningful reform to sustain our healthcare system and maintain high-quality care for all Americans. Without such action, patients will experience reduced access to essential services, and providers will struggle to keep their practices viable.