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- CAP, AMA and Medical Organizations Call on Congress to Pass Legislation to Reverse Physician Medicare Cuts
The CAP, American Medical Association (AMA), and hundreds of medical organization and societies are lobbying Congress to quickly pass legislation to reverse the 3.37% Medicare physician payment cuts that took effect on January 1. The groups sent a letter to both the House and Senate on January 16, calling on Congress to eliminate the cuts in full by increasing the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Conversion Factor retroactive to January 1, 2024, by the initial January 19 appropriations deadline.
On December 20, CAP President Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP issued a statement urging Congress to take up legislation to stop the cut as soon as lawmakers return to Washington in the New Year. “Pathologists and their laboratories have endured several challenges in recent years to meet the demands of the US health system while facing declining reimbursements. Our commitment to our patients is unwavering,” Dr. Karcher said. “At the same time, physicians cannot continue to do more with fewer resources. While coping with workforce shortages and inflationary pressures, we must still invest in new technology and advance laboratory infrastructure to maintain and enhance quality patient care. Congress must honor its commitment to seniors and the physicians who care for them by stabilizing Medicare pay in the short and long term.”
The CAP supports enactment of the Preserving Seniors’ Access to Physicians Act of 2023 (HR 6683), legislation that would counter the cut to Medicare physician payment by updating the conversion factor by 3.37%. Reversing the cuts to Medicare physician payment would preserve patients' access to care – especially those patients who are most vulnerable.
CAP members can continue to urge their representatives and senators to stop the Medicare physician payment cuts by using the CAP’s Action Center.