CMA President Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D., issued the following statement regarding Congress' failure to prevent cuts to Medicare:

“CMA is outraged by Congress’ utter failure to prevent yet another catastrophic cut to Medicare physician payments, despite bipartisan support for fixing our broken Medicare program and improving patient access to care. This year’s cut is the fifth consecutive year of cuts to physicians, and it will inflict irreparable damage on physician practices and undermine care for patients.  

“Physicians continue to experience significant payment cuts without any adjustment for inflation. When factoring in inflation, Medicare physician fees have plummeted by a staggering 33% since 2001 while all other Medicare providers have received inflation updates. This reckless disregard for the financial viability of physician practices is pushing rural and small practices to the brink of collapse, making it increasingly impossible for physicians to deliver the high-quality care that seniors desperately need and deserve. 

“In California, the disastrous effects of inadequate Medicare rates are already painfully evident. Physicians are being forced into early retirement or are severely limiting the number of Medicare patients they see. As a result, patients are forced to endure long waits—sometimes months—to see a primary care physician, while others must travel hours to see a specialist. Emergency department wait times are escalating.  In some communities, physicians have been forced to completely close their doors to new Medicare patients. 

“CMA urges the California delegation to act now to protect seniors’ access to care. Congress must fight for the inclusion of H.R. 879, the ‘Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act,’ in the March continuing resolution and stop Congress from further destroying our health care system."