The CAP commended the introduction of the Physician Fee Stabilization Act in the US Senate and urged Congress to enact the legislation to help prevent across-the-board Medicare cuts to physicians in future years. CAP President Donald Karcher, MD, FCAP, issued the following statement thanking sponsors Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) following the bill’s introduction:
“We are encouraged that Congress is considering long-term fixes to Medicare’s broken payment system, which has cut reimbursements for physician services year after year. Coupled with the absence of an annual update for inflation, reductions to reimbursement unrelated to the actual cost of providing care have no place in the Medicare program. The Physician Fee Stabilization Act would be a crucial step toward stabilizing the Medicare program for patients and the physicians providing care for them. The CAP appreciates the work of Sens. Boozman, Welch, Tillis, King, Marshall, and Shaheen for leading the introduction of this important bill in the Senate.”
The Physician Fee Stabilization Act would increase the budget neutrality threshold from $20 million to $53 million, followed by updated increases every 5 years to keep pace with the Medicare Economic Index. The last update to the threshold was in 1992. Reps. Greg Murphy (R-NC-3), Michael C. Burgess (R-TX-26), Brad R. Wenstrup (R-OH-2), Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2), Larry Bucshon (R-IN-8), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ-2), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1), Andy Harris (R-MD-1, Brian Babin (R-TX-36), John Joyce (R-PA-13), Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13), Richard McCormick (R-GA-6), Drew Ferguson IV (R-GA-3), Neal Dunn (R-FL-2), and Buddy Carter (R-GA-1) introduced the House version of this legislation in 2023.
In addition to the CAP, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Optometric Association, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American Osteopathic Association, the National Rural Health Association, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and the American College of Radiology are also supporting the legislation.
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About the College of American Pathologists (CAP)
As the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, visit the CAP Newsroom, CAP.org and yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care.