In a sign of legislative momentum, a bipartisan group of 41 U.S. senators – including California Sens. Laphonza R. Butler (D) and Alex Padilla (D) – are asking Senate leadership to urgently address the impending 2.8% Medicare physician payment cut set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025, and make it a priority to develop long-term legislative solutions to the broken Medicare physician payment system.  

“Persistent instability in the health care sector – due in part to consistent payment cuts – impacts the ability of physicians and clinicians to provide the highest quality of care,” the senators wrote in the letter. “These continued payment cuts undermine the ability of independent clinical practices – especially in rural and underserved areas – to care for their communities,”  

Earlier, a bipartisan coalition of 233 House members signed a Dear Colleague letter that called for a legislative fix to stabilize Medicare physician practices and protect patient access to care. 

The nation’s physicians are also asking Congress to make this a priority during the lame duck session. The American Medical Association (AMA), California Medical Association (CMA) and 126 other state medical associations and national medical societies also recently sent a letter asking Congress to use these last few congressional days to stop the scheduled cuts and a provide payment update to reflect the inflationary pressures practices are facing. 

CMA, AMA and others in organized medicine are strongly supporting the bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024 (HR 10073), which would stop the cut, increase physician payment by one-half of the MEI, and result in a 12-month payment update of 4.73%.  

CMA continues to urge physicians to contact their congressional representatives and urge them to cosponsor HR 10073.