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- Over 300 Pathologists Encourage Senators to Reverse January 1 Cuts to Medicare Pay
Over 300 pathologists responded to an Action Alert by the CAP sent to its grassroots advocacy network encouraging outreach to their legislators to sign a Dear Colleague Letter drafted by Sens. John Boozman (R-AR) and Peter Welch (D-VT). The letter, sent to Senate leadership on February 22, emphasized the urgent need to address the 3.37% cut to Medicare physician payments that went into effect January 1. Thirty-two senators signed the letter.
Over the last five years, payments to pathologists have decreased by approximately 6%, while physician practice costs have increased by nearly 14%. This year, pathologists are predicted to experience a 7% reduction in income as revenues are expected to fall by close to 2.7%. At the same time, expenses are forecasted to increase by over 4.6%.
These cuts are on top of the lack of an inflationary update to the physician fee schedule. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), Medicare physician pay fell 26% from 2001–2023 because physicians do not get yearly inflationary payment updates. While Congress passed legislation to mitigate the impact of the cuts in 2023 and 2024, they did not stop the cuts completely. The CAP expressed deep disappointment after Congress ended its legislative session in 2023 without addressing future Medicare payment cuts to physician services.
Grassroots advocacy is at the root of driving change at the federal and state level on health care policies that will impact pathologists’ ability to practice and protect the patients they serve. Learn more about CAP’s grassroots advocacy network and how you can take action at PathNET.