The availability of high-quality healthcare for Medicare patients is increasingly at risk. Over the last 20 years, Medicare reimbursement has decreased by 29 percent when adjusted for inflation. This steady decline puts additional pressure on physicians to maintain service levels with fewer resources. Now, with another 2.8 percent cut for 2025 set to take place on January 1, 2025, the strain on physicians and their ability to offer timely, high-quality care to Medicare patients is only growing. For practices in rural and lower-income communities, this financial strain can lead to closures, leaving these areas with fewer resources and forcing patients to travel farther to access care. 

A recent national survey underscores the impact on patient access: over a quarter of Americans reported delays in healthcare appointments last year, with 56 percent of those waiting over a month for an appointment. If reimbursement rates continue to drop, physicians will be stretched even thinner, straining their ability to serve a growing population of patients needing timely care, especially in underserved areas. 

Lawmakers are realizing that something needs to be done. Earlier this year, the Senate Finance Committee released a white paper, detailing key reform options for Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), and in the House, a group of over 230 bipartisan lawmakers have written a letter to the leadership, highlighting the importance of providing a positive payment update for 2025 in the year-end omnibus. Additionally, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024 (U.S. H.R. 10073). If passed, this bill would eliminate the –2.8 percent Medicare conversion factor (CF) cut and add a +1.8 percent increase to the CF for 2025.  

Take action today! Tell your lawmakers to fix the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by supporting H.R. 10073 to protect the future of healthcare.