Providing care to patients is becoming more difficult in the United States as more physicians are forced to limit or stop seeing patients on Medicare because of lower and lower reimbursement for physician services. The cost of running a medical practice continues to rise while physician reimbursement from Medicare has steadily fallen behind. This is not sustainable, and the patients’ access to care will suffer as more and more patients need care from a smaller number of physicians providing it.

When was the last time you saw a doctor? How long did you have to wait for an appointment? How far did you have to drive? For many Americans, accessing local care is becoming increasingly difficult. As a physician, I want to treat all my patients as early as possible, when their conditions are more manageable and complications are more likely to be prevented. Longer wait times and fewer care options are frustrating for doctors and patients alike.

The Trump administration has released Medicare's proposed physician payment rule for 2027. Buried in the hundreds of pages of technical regulations is a familiar outcome --- another cut in what physicians will be paid to care for seniors. Under the proposal, Medicare's basic payment rate would fall by as much as 1.7%.

U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Roger Marshall M.D. (R-KS), Angus King (I-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act to modernize Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule (MFPS). The bipartisan, comprehensive legislation would create greater predictability in Medicare physician payments, preserve patient access to care and better reflect the actual cost of delivering medical services.

While some might worry that adjusting Medicare rates is expensive, in actuality, it is a smart investment since the cost of inaction is much higher. The status quo –paying for expensive, avoidable emergency room visits when chronic diseases go unchecked due to patients having long wait times and issues with health literacy—is far more devastating to our taxpayers and our healthcare system.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is one of the most important forces shaping our healthcare system. It influences what care costs, where patients receive it -- and whether independent physicians can keep serving their communities. Since 2001, Medicare physician reimbursement has fallen 33%, after accounting for inflation. Meanwhile, the costs of staffing, rent, technology, insurance, and medical supplies have climbed steadily.

Getting to a doctor isn’t always simple in Louisiana. Gone are the days when a country doctor could drop in and make a house call. For families in rural parishes, it can now mean a long drive or waiting weeks just to get in the door. Unfortunately, when care isn’t easy to access, people tend to put off getting the treatments they need, jeopardizing their health and longevity.

For years, independent physicians have been asked to do more with less. Delivering high quality care is getting more and more difficult. Rural communities, in particular, are getting hammered with worsening doctor shortages while Americans are experiencing higher rates of chronic disease. Medicare payment policies are only making analready dire situation that much worse.

Medicare is a cornerstone of our health care infrastructure, providing coverage for 2.3 million Michiganders, or nearly 1 in 4 people in the state. However, the financial framework supporting this program has remained largely static. Over the last 25 years, the cost of running a medical practice — from hiring staff to implementing essential technology — has increased by more than 60%. Meanwhile, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician reimbursement has actually declined by 33% since 2001.