Cardiology groups urge Congress to ‘take a stand’ after spending proposal fails to fix Medicare cuts
More than 100 U.S. medical societies and physician groups, including several in the cardiovascular health space, have signed a new letter urging House members to push back against a proposed spending bill that does not address the Medicare payment cut that went into effect Jan. 1.
The new continuing resolution (CR), announced March 8 by House Speaker Mike Johnson, is designed to avert a government shutdown by providing temporary funding through the end of September. The proposal, however, does not undo the 2.8% Medicare payment cut that went into effect at the start of the year, something for which physicians and policymakers alike have been advocating.
“Last December, there was a bipartisan funding package that Congress was hours away from passing before it was scuttled,” the groups wrote. “That package addressed the 2025 Medicare physician payment cut. It is time for members of the House of Representatives to take a stand to protect Medicare patient access by insisting language addressing the 2025 Medicare physician payment cut be added to the full-year CR before the vote.”
The signatories also emphasized that a bipartisan bill addressing the latest Medicare cut, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025, has already been introduced by several House members.
The American College of Cardiology, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Heart Failure Society of America, Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography are among the groups that signed the letter.
AMA, MGMA shared statements on proposed continuing resolution
The American Medical Association (AMA) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) both signed the letter to House members—but each group also shared an official statement highlighting disappointment with the proposed CR.
“Congress has failed physicians, and Medicare patients will pay the price,” AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, said in his group’s statement. “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.”
Anders Gilberg, senior vice president of government affairs for MGMA, shared a similar perspective.
“On behalf of MGMA's 15,000 medical group practices, it is unacceptable that the continuing resolution released by House leadership over the weekend fails to include provisions to reverse the 2.83% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement, already in effect since Jan. 1,” Gilberg said. “Congress must act swiftly to include the previously agreed-upon ‘doc-fix’ provisions within H.R. 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, in the upcoming government funding package ahead of any vote. Failure to do so would mean another year of unkept promises to physicians, signaling little regard for medical practices or our nation’s seniors.”
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.