Southern West Virginia News

Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), along with eight other House colleagues, have reintroduced the bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. The proposed legislation aims to support physicians and protect access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.

“Seniors in West Virginia and across the country should not lose access to their local health care because of reimbursement cuts," stated Congresswoman Miller. She emphasized that the bill would increase funding for essential services for Medicare patients, ensuring that everyone has access to quality medical care.

Congressman Murphy highlighted the financial challenges faced by American physicians due to ongoing Medicare cuts. "Access to affordable and quality health care for millions of seniors is in severe jeopardy," he said. Murphy noted that inflationary pressures and declining reimbursement rates are forcing many physicians to retire early or stop accepting new Medicare patients.

Bruce A. Scott, M.D., President of the American Medical Association, urged lawmakers to address these issues promptly. “This legislation would begin to roll back the cuts physician practices have faced over the last four years while we all have experienced high inflation," Scott stated. He called on physicians and patients to advocate for the inclusion of this bill in the next spending package before March 14.

On January 1, 2025, a 2.83% Medicare reimbursement cut was implemented due to a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November 2024. With CMS estimating a 3.6% increase in practice cost expenses this year, physicians could face a combined cut of 6.43% without congressional intervention.

The American Medical Association reports that when adjusted for inflation, Medicare reimbursement for physician services has declined by 33% from 2001 to 2025. This situation is creating significant challenges for healthcare systems, particularly in rural and underserved areas where staffing costs continue to rise amid declining reimbursement rates.

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