The AAMC joined other health care groups in an April 19 letter of support for the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474), legislation that would provide an annual update equal to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) for physician payments.
The letter to bill leads Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Larry Bucshon, MD, (R-Ind.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) noted that this legislation would advance “the ongoing need to provide financial stability to physician practices in order to preserve access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.” The letter also emphasized that this type of inflationary adjustment will ameliorate some of the fiscal uncertainty that physicians face as a result of the current Medicare payment system.