ACR and Congress Address “Damaging” Cuts to Medicare MD Payments Save

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today commended the 233 bipartisan representatives who signed a letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to support legislative action to address “damaging” payment cuts to physicians in the Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Proposed Rule.

In the letter, lawmakers urge Congress to pass a payment update for physicians and other clinicians that considers the real cost of delivering care to patients, including the current cost of care, compliance costs, and the disproportionate impact these cuts have on rural and underserved patients. As a solution, signatories are advocating for reforms to the MPFS budget neutrality requirements and an increase to the budget neutrality threshold, noting that some of these solutions have already passed the Energy and Commerce Committee with bipartisan support.  

“The Medicare payment system is fundamentally flawed, and repeated annual cuts are taking a significant toll on rheumatologists, rheumatology care teams and the U.S. healthcare system as a whole,” said Dr.  Deborah Dyett Desir, ACR president. “We urge congressional leadership to heed the concerns of their colleagues and take action to implement meaningful legislative solutions that address payment cuts, reduce administrative burdens, and account for the impact of inflation on physicians. The time for change is now-enough is enough.”  

Led by Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC), Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), John Joyce, MD (R-PA), and Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), the letter concludes, “To prevent the very real scenario of insufficient access to physicians and other clinicians treating Medicare patients, Congress must stop the 2.8 percent payment cut from occurring in 2025, enact targeted reforms to statutory budget neutrality requirements, and provide physicians with a payment update reflective of inflationary pressures.”

Click here for the full letter, including the entire list of signatories.