October 18, 2024
A bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives, consisting of 233 members, has signed a letter urging leadership to swiftly implement legislative solutions to prevent a 2.8% cut to Medicare payments set for January 1, 2025. The letter emphasizes the need for a payment update reflecting the actual patient care costs. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), along with a coalition of representatives, spearheaded this initiative and gathered additional support before sending it to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). PALTmed members and many other state and specialty organizations also encouraged congressional members to sign the letter.
The letter points out that the 2.8% reduction in the proposed 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) marks the fifth consecutive year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed cuts to physician payments. The letter notes that “while Congress has stepped in the past four years to pass legislation to mitigate portions of these cuts, the fact remains that the MPFS is inherently broken. Continued payment cuts undermine the ability of independent clinical practices—especially in rural and underserved areas—to care for their community, which reduces patient access to care.”
PALTmed encourages you to continue contacting your members of Congress and urge them to take action to stabilize Medicare payments.