Proposed Medicare cuts for physicians are "bad policy, bad timing and bad for patients," threatening healthcare access, the American Medical Association said in a Sept. 11 news release.
The AMA is questioning the proposed 3.36 percent reduction for 2024, which is made up of a 1.25 percent legislative reduction and a negative budget neutrality adjustment.
"With higher costs for everything associated with practicing medicine, another year of Medicare payment cuts jeopardizes patient access and imperils the physician practices on which so many seniors rely," AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, said in the release. "These cuts are unsustainable and unconscionable."
Additionally, more physicians and practices could be hit with a penalty with the Merit-Based Incentive Program based on the 2022 performance feedback. These penalties can reduce Medicare payments up to 9 percent, according to the release.
These reductions will harm Medicare patients' access to care, the AMA said.
Read the AMA's full letter to Congress here.