Physicians ‘outraged’ after proposed spending package ditches doc fix

House Republicans on Saturday released a seven-month funding patch to avert a government shutdown. The measure immediately drew criticism, with it failing to include a bipartisan provision to reverse a physician Medicare pay cut that took effect Jan. 1.

The spending package would add billions in funding for deportations, veterans’ healthcare and the military, Politico reported. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., crafted the proposal in coordination with President Donald Trump, who urged lawmakers to approve the legislation ahead of the March 14 deadline. 

The American Medical Association slammed the proposal Sunday. This after the AMA previously touted increasing support for the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, with 99 co-sponsors in the House. 

“Physicians across the country are outraged that Congress’s proposed spending package locks in a devastating fifth consecutive year of Medicare cuts, threatening access to care for 66 million Medicare patients,” AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, said in a statement March 9. “Despite repeated warnings, lawmakers are once again ignoring the dire consequences of these cuts and their impact both on patients and the private practices struggling to keep their doors open.”

The nation’s largest physician lobbying group believes leaving the 2.8% cut to the conversion factor in place will be “particularly devastating” for rural providers. When adjusting for inflation, Medicare payments to physician practices have fallen 33% since 2001, and further cuts are likely to force practices to shutter, the association contends. 

“Congress has failed physicians, and Medicare patients will pay the price,” Scott added. “The window to reverse this reckless decision is rapidly closing. Lawmakers must explain either why protecting access to quality health care is not a priority or how they plan to fix it.”

Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, R-N.C., indicated in December that President Trump had assured lawmakers that physicians would “be taken care of in March.” The trained physician and advocate for doc pay reform had not released a statement as of late Sunday. 

Politico said Speaker Johnson hopes to pass the bill as soon as Tuesday, putting pressure on the Senate to back the plan. 

The spending package comes after the American College of Radiology led a coalition of over 100 organizations urging elected officials to undo the Medicare pay cut. 

“We understand that Congress faces many complex issues, competing priorities, and shrinking legislative calendars. However, our members—and, more importantly, our patients—cannot wait any longer,” ACR, SNMMI, the American Society of Neuroradiology, Radiology Business Management Association and the Society of Interventional Radiology wrote to Johnson and colleagues Feb. 28.