With Congress set to return to Washington, DC in the coming weeks, there is much work to be done to avert looming cuts in the Medicare physician payment system. If left unchecked these cuts could cause a serious disruption in patient access to care.

Reps. Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN) recently circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter highlighting the financial uncertainty within the Medicare payment system and the dangers these cuts could have on physicians’ ability to provide quality care for their patients if Congress fails to enact legislation to address these problems.

They’re asking their colleagues in the House of Representatives to add their names to this letter and you can too by contacting your representative and asking them to sign-on NOW!

In what amounts to a “perfect storm” of payment reductions going into effect on January 1, 2022, physician practices face Medicare cuts on multiple fronts that amount to a combined 9.75% cut. This would directly impact Medicare patients’ ability to access care. And all of this comes at a time when physician practices are still recovering from the emotional and financial impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

A strong collection of bipartisan cosigners will help demonstrate to House and Senate leadership that this confluence of payment cuts needs to be addressed via legislation before the end of 2021. Please contact your representative today and urge them to show their support by signing on to Rep. Bera and Rep. Bucshon’s “Dear Colleague” letter.