As a physician dedicated to providing quality care to Medicare beneficiaries, I urge U.S. Rep. Randy Weber to support H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. This crucial legislation offers a permanent solution to the challenges faced by clinicians in the Medicare payment system, ensuring access to timely and quality care for our nation’s seniors.
Over the years, Congress has taken temporary measures to address Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) cuts, but the problem persists. According to the American Medical Association, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare payments to clinicians have declined by a staggering 26% from 2001 to 2023. This decline, combined with budget neutrality, sequestration, and limited alternative payment models, demonstrates that the Medicare payment system is broken.
H.R. 2474 seeks to rectify this situation by implementing a permanent inflation-based update to the MPFS conversion factor. This update will provide both stability and sustainability to the Medicare payment model, enabling clinicians to navigate the shifting economic landscape they face daily. Many clinicians are small business owners who must juggle increasing administrative burdens, staff salaries, business expenses, and investments in technology. The inflationary update will help alleviate some of these financial pressures, allowing clinicians to focus on delivering high-quality care to their patients.
With H.R. 2474, Congress has a unique opportunity to adopt comprehensive, transformative reforms to the Medicare payment system. This legislation is a meaningful step towards ensuring that our older neighbors receive access to quality care. Rep. Weber would be wise to support it.
The way Medicare compensates participating physicians has been in a near constant state of crisis for decades. Heretofore, Congress has relied on little more than band-aids and temporary fixes to keep it afloat. It is clear that our current payment system is in urgent need of permanent reform.
Physicians cannot continue to operate under such adverse conditions. The cost of running a practice has risen by 39% from 2001 to 2020, while Medicare payments, adjusted for inflation, have fallen by a staggering 50%. In contrast, payments for other healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities and hospitals, have seen significant increases, due in no small part to annual inflation-based payment updates. These disparities, coupled with the current inflationary environment, exacerbate the financial strain on physicians and hinder their ability to deliver the care their patients require.
Moreover, the mounting challenges of burnout, stress, workload, and the cumulative impact of COVID-19 have pushed one in five physicians to consider leaving their current practice within the next two years. We cannot afford to lose more dedicated healthcare professionals due to an unsustainable payment system.
Congress must act now to reform the Medicare physician payment system comprehensively. We need a system that reflects the real-world costs of physician practice, simplifies the payment process, and provides predictability for both physicians and CMS. The introduction of H.R. 2474 is a crucial first step towards achieving this goal.
I urge all members of the Texas congressional delegation, including our own Rep. Randy Weber, to lend their support to H.R. 2474. By doing so, he will play a vital role in securing the future of Medicare and ensure quality care for America’s senior citizens.
Ray Callas, M.D. of Beaumont is a physician anesthesiologist serving the Texas Gulf Coast region and a partner at Anesthesia Associates.