Statement attributable to:
Ryan D. Mire, MD, FACP
President, ACP
WASHINGTON September 13, 2022 – The ý (ACP) strongly supports the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022 and thanks Representatives Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) and Larry Buschon, MD (R-IN) for their recognition of the need for greater stability in the health care system in order to protect patient access to care. The legislation would negate the impact the budget neutrality cuts would have on Medicare coverage for 2023, ensuring that payments remain stable for physicians and their practices next year. The bill also recognizes the need for Congress and the administration to take action on a longer-term solution that would promote and reward value-based payments and advance health equity.
Ensuring stability in Medicare payments is critical to allowing physicians and their practices to continue to participate in the Medicare program and protecting access to care for some of our most vulnerable populations. Physicians have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic for the last two and half years, weathering the incredible strain it has had on the health care system. Many of their practices have not yet recovered from the financial toll that the pandemic has taken. Compounding that strain by further destabilizing the health care system with unpredictable reimbursements will harm the ability of our nation’s seniors to access necessary health care.
We call on the House to pass this legislation and for the Senate to follow suit. ACP is also firmly committed to working with Congress to find a long-term solution that will give physicians stability and predictability in their practices and help preserve continuity of care for their patients.
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About the ý
The ý is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 160,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on , , and .
Contact: Jacquelyn Blaser, (202) 261-4572, jblaser@acponline.org