Lawmakers don't have to act on the recommendations. But the calls from MedPAC could add pressure in a growing campaign to get Congress to change the way Medicare pays physicians.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted to recommend linking next year’s physician payment update to the growth in the cost of providing care, exhibiting a keen grasp of what is needed to help ensure patients will have continued access to care.

Concerns among physicians about the future of health care have intensified in the last several years as payers continue to cut reimbursements.

Internist Jason Goldman, MD, brings a personal touch to care, but isn’t sure how long that can survive under a broken Medicare payment system.

The AMA faulted Congress for allowing cuts in Medicare reimbursement to go into effect on Jan. 1.

Rural communities face growing challenges in accessing health care, and Medicare’s looming physician payment cuts threaten to exacerbate this crisis.

Physicians are facing another Medicare payment cut, even though costs of running a practice and purchasing medical equipment have gone up. This reoccurs year-after-year, contributing to a 29 percent payment decrease since 2001.

Now that the dust has settled from the election, it’s time for Washington to look past all the politics and advance bipartisan reforms that help expand Americans’ access to quality care.

For a third straight year, MedPAC stressed that physician payment rate updates should be based on an inflation-based index for Medicare.