Congress set to address looming Medicare payment cut

After the general election, Congress will begin working to prevent a 2.8% Medicare physician payment that is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Newly introduced legislation would eliminate the cut and provide a 1.93% positive payment update.

Other 11th-hour measures are pending. A clear majority of U.S. House members has indicated being in favor of preventing this cut. However, the details of how this might occur are still up in the air. Proposals range from those that would merely eliminate the cut without adding pay increases to comprehensive Medicare payment reform.

The FMA will provide updates as additional information becomes available, and we will continue advocating for comprehensive Medicare payment reforms that would eliminate annual cuts with payment rate increases that keep pace with inflation. In addition, we are advocating for overhauling MIPS and the Quality Payment Program to make the rules of the Medicare payment system more meaningful to physicians.