Hundreds of lawmakers urge House to pass radiologist pay fix during lame duck session

Hundreds of U.S. lawmakers are urging leaders in the House to take up the radiologist Medicare pay fix during the lame duck session of Congress following the election.

A total of 233 representatives made their case in an Oct. 11 message to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. They want the lower chamber to address a proposed 2.8% cut to the conversion factor used to calculate physician payments. Absent congressional action, the reimbursement reduction will take effect Jan. 1. 

“As a physician, I am thrilled to lead more than 200 bipartisan House members in urging leadership on both sides to address the proposed doc reimbursement cuts,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, R-Iowa, said in a statement shared Tuesday. “The overwhelming, bipartisan support is a testament to the importance of fixing this issue to preserve patient access to quality care. Long-term payment reform is still desperately needed, but a temporary fix is also critical. In Congress, I will continue to lead the charge for better health access and outcomes for Americans.”

This would mark the fifth consecutive year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a fee schedule outlining lower payments to radiologists and other physicians. House lawmakers contend the cut will undermine physician practices’ ability to care for Medicare beneficiaries. Reimbursement reductions have forced physician groups to make difficult choices, they wrote, including freezing hiring, delaying system improvements and eliminating services. 

“Rural physicians and other clinicians, as well as those treating underserved populations, are facing the most daunting challenge of trying to provide care in the wake of devastating reimbursement cuts,” the letter writers concluded. “To prevent the very real scenario of insufficient access to physicians and other clinicians treating Medicare patients, Congress must stop the 2.8% payment cut from occurring in 2025, enact targeted reforms to statutory budget neutrality requirements, and provide physicians with a payment update reflective of inflationary pressures.”

Both the American Medical Association and the American Medical Group Association praised Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., for spearheading the letter-signing effort. 

“The issue bringing together a divided Washington today is the awareness that Medicare patients must continue to have access to medical care,” AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, said in a statement shared Oct. 15. “The House position is clear now that 233 members of the House—a solid, bipartisan majority—are urging the Speaker to tackle Medicare reform during the lame duck.”