Miller, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Preserve Medicare for Patients and Physicians

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) joined Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) along with eight of their other House colleagues, in re-introducing the bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. This legislation supports physicians and protects access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

“Seniors in West Virginia and across the country should not lose access to their local health care because of reimbursement cuts. The bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act would increase funding for services that are necessary for Medicare patients. Physicians should have the resources they need to treat their patients and everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to quality medical care,” said Congresswoman Miller.

"Physicians in America are facing unprecedented financial viability challenges due to continued Medicare cuts. Access to affordable and quality health care for millions of seniors is in severe jeopardy. Doctors see Medicare patients out of compassion, not for financial gain. The cost of caring for a Medicare patient far outpaces the reimbursement that physicians receive for seeing them. On top of that, the expense of providing care continues to rise due to medical inflation. This inflation, coupled with declining reimbursement rates, creates enormous financial pressures on physicians, forcing many to retire early, stop accepting new Medicare patients, or sell out to larger, consolidated hospital systems, private equity, or even insurance companies. The future of private practice medicine, the most cost-efficient and personalized care, is in dire straits. This bipartisan legislation prevents further cuts, provides a modest inflationary adjustment to help ease the cost of care, and ensures Medicare remains viable for both doctors and patients,” said Congressman Murphy.

“This legislation would begin to roll back the cuts physician practices have faced over the last four years while we all have experienced high inflation. As evidenced by this bipartisan legislation, lawmakers know the trend is unsustainable and, if left unaddressed, will ultimately harm their constituents. Patient access to care and practice sustainability are not partisan or geographical issues. It’s an urgent national issue that demands immediate attention from Congress. The clock is ticking. The continuing resolution expires on March 14. Physicians are healers first, but we are asking them to become vocal advocates for their patients over the next 45 days by contacting their members of Congress and urging them to include this bill in the next spending package. Patients, particularly Medicare recipients and anyone with a family member on Medicare, should do likewise,” said Bruce A. Scott, M.D., President of the American Medical Association.
 
Click here for bill text. 
 
Background:

• On January 1, 2025, a 2.83% Medicare reimbursement cut went into effect for physicians due to a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November of 2024. Compounded with CMS’ own estimates of a projected 3.6% increase in practice cost expenses for this year, physicians could face a 6.43% cut unless Congress acts.
• According to the American Medical Association, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare reimbursement for physician services has declined 33% from 2001 to 2025.
• Medicare reimbursement cuts for physicians are creating far-reaching consequences for our health care system, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
• While costs for staffing and operations continue to climb, declining reimbursement rates are forcing practices to make difficult decisions, such as layoffs, reduced services, or permanent closures.
• As the physician shortage continues to grow and an aging population of doctors near retirement, these cuts only exacerbate burnout and threaten to further limit access to care for Medicare patients.