Congressional Champions Introduce Legislation Addressing Medicare Payment Cuts

Surgeons are again facing drastic cuts to Medicare payment at the end of the year due to policies in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) calendar year 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Earlier in September, Representatives Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), introduced the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022, which would address the nearly 4.5% cut to the Medicare conversion factor beginning in January 2023. The ACS supports this bipartisan legislation, which would provide a critical lifeline to surgeons who are also facing a 4% Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) cut.

Unlike other sectors of the healthcare industry, investments in surgeons and other healthcare professionals treating Medicare patients lack an automatic annual update. Medicare payments have failed to keep pace with inflation, including the record, ongoing inflation experienced in 2022, resulting in a real-world decrease year after year. At the same time, the costs of running a medical practice have increased significantly.

Without congressional action, these compounding cuts will jeopardize the financial stability of surgical practices and are, simply put, not sustainable. While the ACS believes that broader reforms are necessary for ensuring long-term stability of the Medicare payment system, the College supports efforts that provide immediate relief to surgical practices facing financial uncertainty.

Take action! Use ACS SurgeonsVoice to write your Representative today, where you can tell them to cosponsor Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022 and protect patient access.