Join the campaign to fix Medicare physician payment

FMA Staff Report

The FMA needs your support in a national advocacy campaign to fix physicians’ Medicare payments. Along with the AMA and physician organizations nationwide, we have worked tirelessly on this issue for years, and we are frustrated that physicians still are not receiving adequate Medicare payments to sustain their practices. The ongoing payment cuts have placed many practices, whether private or employed, academic or community, at increasing economic risk, as most payers are tied to Medicare rates.

Please join this campaign. Stop what you are doing today and call your U.S. representative every week, preferably Monday or Friday until we get this issue resolved. Even better, visit their local office in person to make a greater impact. However, a call is essential.

When you call, ask your representative to support and co-sponsor House Resolution 879, introduced by U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, MD. The bill stops January’s 2.83% Medicare cut forced on physicians and replaces it with a 2% payment increase to counter the rising costs of running a practice.

Remember to share a personal story about how the ongoing cuts have affected the sustainability of your practice and/or your patients’ access to care. Examples include:

• Having to limit or close your practice to Medicare patients
• Difficulty finding primary care physicians for your patients
• Long wait times for appointments or specialist referrals

Stories that illustrate how these cuts affect patients are the most compelling and will resonate with lawmakers.

Thank you in advance for supporting this patient-focused grassroots campaign, which will help to move HR 879 forward.