Neurosurgery Joins Medical Societies to Urge Congress to Protect Medicare Patients and Physician Practices Before Year-End

Today, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons join 76 national medical societies and 51 state medical associations in urging Congress to pass the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024 (H.R. 10073) before the conclusion of the 118th Congress. This critical legislation would halt the scheduled 2.83% Medicare physician payment cut and provide a 1.8% positive payment update for 2025, ensuring stability for physician practices and safeguarding patient access to care.

The letter emphasizes the urgency of addressing these cuts during the lame-duck session, noting that failure to act will exacerbate financial pressures on already strained practices. The proposed legislation, supported by bipartisan lawmakers, offers a temporary solution by providing modest inflationary adjustments and creating a pathway for broader Medicare payment reforms in the next Congress.

The medical community calls on Congress to prioritize this legislation during the final weeks of the 118th Congress, providing a necessary bridge to comprehensive Medicare payment reform and preventing devastating cuts that would compromise care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.

Click here to read the letter.

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The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), founded in 1931, and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), founded in 1951, are the two largest scientific and educational associations for neurosurgical professionals in the world. These groups represent over 10,000 neurosurgeons worldwide. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system, including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves. For more information, please visit www.aans.org, www.cns.org and www.neurosurgery.org