The ACC has launched a grassroots campaign urging members of Congress to cosponsor and pass the Preserving Seniors' Access to Physicians Act of 2023 (H.R. 6683), which would eliminate the 3.37% cut to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Medicare physician payments have dropped by 26% in the last 20 years, while practice expenses have risen by 47% over the same period. Since physicians receive no automatic inflationary update within Medicare, stopping the 3.37% cut is necessary to combat the significant inflationary cost pressure that clinicians and practices are facing. Congress must act now to avert this crisis to maintain stable, consistent access to care for some of America's most vulnerable patients.

"We have once again arrived at American clinicians' annual holiday tradition: urging Congress to not allow cuts to Medicare services that exacerbate financial uncertainty for practices, further threaten patient access to care, and disproportionately impact America's rural and senior populations," said ACC President B. Hadley Wilson, MD, FACC. "For decades we have spent December looking for a quick fix to a problem that requires significant reforms. We must seek and establish sustainable payment practices that allow clinicians to continue providing access to high-quality care. While addressing this upcoming cut is critical, it is a short-term adjustment that will not create a long-term solution. It is necessary to protect patients now while we work together on lasting reform."

ACC members can add their voice to the College's campaign by submitting letters to their lawmakers using the ACC Action Alert system.

The ACC is committed to developing and advancing solutions that will optimize the delivery of cardiovascular care; however, significant reforms are necessary within the Medicare system to achieve the ACC's Vision For Championing Patient Access to Care. Learn more.