NC Medical Society Members Advocate for a Medicare Payment Fix and More

 

Over the dates of February 10-12, 600+ participants gathered in Washington, DC for the 2025 National Advocacy Conference hosted by the American Medical Association.

Fixing the 2.83% Medicare Payment Cut that went into effect on January 1st was the primary focus of the meetings with each office of our North Carolina members of the US Senate and US House.  Those 16 meetings contributed to the 350 total meetings held across Capitol Hill and followed the delivery of a stakeholder letter to Senate and House leadership encouraging support of the payment fix.  The NCMS joined with 130 other partner organizations in signing the letter.

The NCMS delegation to the NAC included . . .

  • Art Apolinario, MD, Family Physician/Clinical Medical Clinic/Clinton
  • Hans Arora, MD, Urologist/UNC School of Medicine/Chapel Hill
  • Janet Colon, RN, Critical Care Registered Nurse/Duke Health System/Durham
  • Mary Ann Contogiannis, MD, Plastic Surgeon/Renaissance Center for Plastic Surgery/Greensboro
  • Rebecca Hayes, MD, Family Physician/Elizabeth Family Medicine/Charlotte
  • Justin Hurie, MD, Vascular Surgeon/Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist/Winston-Salem
  • Karen Smith, MD, Family Physician/Karen L. Smith, MD,PA/Raeford
  • W. Alan Skipper, CAE Senior Officer, Externa Affairs/North Carolina Medical Society

Despite the snow and wintery weather, the NCMS team spent three afternoons on Capitol Hill.

The “ask” of every congressional office was to help advance legislation, HR 879 / Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which would eliminate the 2.83% cut while providing a 2% positive payment update for the balance of 2025. The bill’s primary sponsor is Rep. Greg Murphy MD (NC-3), from Greenville, NC.

A highlight of the visit to Capitol Hill was a Fix Medicare Now rally to put emphasis on the need for Congress to rectify five straight years of cuts in Medicare physician payment.  Keynote remarks from Dr. Murphy received a rousing response of support and helped energize the effort to educate members of Congress and increase bill co-sponsorship.  Upon arrival in Washington on Monday, February 10, the bill had garnered 37 bipartisan co-sponsors since introduction on January 31st.  By week’s end, the work on Capitol Hill helped increase that support to 71 co-sponsors.

Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (NC-3), addresses The Fix Medicare Now rally

A key factor driving the positive response to the legislation is that, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payment in 2025 is 33% less than in 2021.  And, to give specific context to the impact of the payment cut, the results of an Impact Survey of North Carolina physicians and practices were shared.

     

NC delegation with Rep. Mark Harris and Rep. Greg Murphy, MD

NC delegation with Rep. Virginia Foxx and Senator Thom Tillis

The trip to Capitol Hill also set the stage for engagement on several other federal advocacy issues that are on the near horizon.  Topping that list is gaining an extension of Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities.  Congress approved an extension of Medicare’s telehealth coverage in its 2024 year-end funding package, but that extension expires on March 31, 2025.   The unanimous support of the extension in December bodes well for another affirmative vote, but the effort to gain support is intense, nevertheless, since patients’ access to care hangs in the balance.

Maintaining stability in our state’s Medicaid program is an immediate priority as well.

Additional issues that did not cross the finish line in 2024 and are anticipated in 2025 include:

  • Prior Authorization Relief
  • Step Therapy Relief
  • Workforce Improvements
  • Physician/Clinician Wellness Support
  • Research Funding Appropriations

 

Interested in an in-district meeting with your member of Congress?  Please share your interest and we’ll work to make it happen. Your support and engagement make a difference.

 

Do you know your legislator? More importantly, does your legislator know you?