The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (MPFS) announced on July 8, 2024, includes a 2.8 percent cut to physician Medicare payments on January 1, 2025. In its comments, the Michigan State Medical Society expressed concern and encouraged CMS to reverse the cut and support reform via H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. You can view the letter here.
Although the 60-day comment period on the proposed rule expired on September 9, you can still let your federal legislators know that enough is enough. First, urge them to sign the Miller-Meeks/Panetta “Dear Colleague” letter no later than September 27. This letter, which is currently being circulated by Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) , Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and a bipartisan group of physician members of Congress, urges House leaders to take immediate action to stop the 2.8 percent cut and to provide physicians with a payment update reflecting inflationary pressures.
Second, ask them to support H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. This bipartisan measure would provide a permanent, annual update equal to the increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), which measures practice cost inflation.
Let’s keep the pressure on CMS and Congress to enact policies and reforms that put the practice of medicine on a sustainable path for the future.
