Capitol Chronicle: Karen Smith, MD Lends Her Voice To Medicare Payment Advocacy

The North Carolina Medical Society has been intensely engaged with our offices on Capitol Hill to stress the urgency of fixing the current Medicare Physician Payment dilemma. 2025 is the fifth year in a row that physicians have had to absorb a Medicare pay cut and access to care for our state’s Medicare patients hangs in the balance. Medicare payment has declined by 33% over the past 23 years, when adjusted for inflation, while practice costs have increased by nearly 50%. Practice viability is increasing under threat as a result of this trend.

Dr. Karen Smith, family physician in Raeford, NC and member of the North Carolina Medical Society board of directors has put an exclamation point on the Medical Society’s messaging to Congress in her recent column in the Fayetteville Observer.

Join Dr. Smith in her advocacy by reaching out to your members of the US Senate and US House of Representatives to add your voice to the effort to fix Medicare payment. They need to hear from constituents about how Medicare payment cuts are having an impact on your patients and your practice.  Below are links for making calls and sending emails. If you need assistance in contacting these offices, please let us know.

U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives