By Amanda Williams, M.D.
Imagine a healthcare system where patients wait weeks for appointments, doctors are stretched to their breaking point, and independent medical practices are forced to close their doors. Unfortunately, you don’t have to imagine it because all this is happening right now in Alabama and across the country.
Several factors contribute to this crisis, but a key driver is the relentless cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians. Over the last two decades, doctors have seen nearly a 30% reduction in payment for treating Medicare patients, all while facing skyrocketing practice costs and soaring inflation. It’s a situation that is only getting worse, as the federal government plans even more cuts next year.
For many independent medical practices, these cuts push them to the edge of financial collapse. In fact, a national survey reveals that Medicare reimbursement cuts are the top reason why more physicians are selling their practices to hospitals or corporate health systems. When these local practices shut down, particularly in rural communities, patients lose access to nearby care, leaving entire areas without essential medical services. Moreover, the closure of these practices ends longstanding doctor-patient relationships, which many patients rely on for comfort and continuity of care.
When the cost of delivering care exceeds the payment doctors receive, many physicians are left with no choice but to cut services, reduce staff, stop accepting new Medicare patients, or retire altogether. For patients, the outcome is always the same: less access to the care they need when they need it.
Fixing this broken system must be a top national priority. Thankfully, there is bipartisan legislation in Congress that could help protect patients’ access to timely care by modernizing the Medicare physician payment system. Alabama physicians are especially grateful to see two of our state’s leaders – Reps. Mike Rogers and Terri Sewell – co-sponsoring the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474).
If passed, this bill would introduce a permanent, inflation-based update to the Medicare fee schedule, meaning reimbursements would better reflect the real-world impact of rising costs. Other healthcare providers, like hospitals and nursing homes, already receive automatic inflation adjustments each year. It’s time physicians receive the same consideration.
While this bill won’t solve all of the problems in our healthcare system, it’s a crucial step toward ensuring better access to care for millions of Americans.
Doctors want to fulfill the government’s promise to Medicare patients by providing the quality care they deserve. But right now, Medicare is failing to keep that promise. Congress must prioritize Medicare payment reform as an investment in the health of our nation.
Alabama’s physicians urge all members of Congress to follow the lead of Reps. Rogers and Sewell by supporting H.R. 2474. This modest but vital fix will help preserve independent medical practices and ensure patients continue receiving the high-quality care they need.
Dr. Amanda Williams is the founder and owner of Gardenia Cove Mental Health and serves as the president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.