The ISMA has joined the AMA, other state medical societies and 80 health care organizations in asking congressional leaders to reverse the latest round of Medicare payment cuts and provide physicians with a meaningful payment increase that reflects ongoing inflationary pressures.

“Our organizations were surprised and deeply disappointed that the final version of the American Relief Act 2025 failed to include any financial relief for physicians,” said the letter, sent Feb. 10. “America’s physicians are united in urging Congress to use the forthcoming March appropriations bill as an opportunity to provide physicians with desperately needed fiscal relief that is imperative to ensuring that seniors retain access to health care services under Medicare.”

The letter notes that a bipartisan group of 10 House members recently introduced a bill that would stop the 2.83% cut in Medicare payments to physician practices this year. It would also provide a 2% payment update, which would help stabilize physician practices and protect patients’ access to care. The bill is the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, or HR 879.

“The time for legislative action is now,” the letter said. “America’s physicians and the millions of patients we treat can no longer accept any excuses, such as an overcrowded legislative calendar, competing policy priorities or an inability to achieve bipartisan consensus, as reasons for not including provisions that reverse the latest round of cuts and provide a crucial payment update in the next appropriations package.”

The entire letter can be found at www.ismanet.org/AMA-Medicare-payment-letter.