Take action before September 14, 2026
Medicare's proposed physician cut won't save you money.
It will cost you more.
Payment cuts close private practices and push care into hospital-owned clinics, where the same visit costs more. Enter your ZIP — your letter to Congress takes two minutes.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
How a "physician cut" ends up on your bill
CMS's proposed 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (CMS‑1848‑P, July 14, 2026) cuts physician payment 1.68% while practice costs rise 2.5%[1] — on top of a 33% inflation-adjusted decline since 2001.[3] Here's how that lands on your bill:
1. Cuts close private practices. Only 42% of physicians remain in private practice (60% in 2012); 82% now work for hospitals or corporate entities.[5] Of those who sold, 71% cited the need for higher payment rates.[6]
2. Hospital-owned care costs more. Medicare pays 194% more for the same echocardiogram and 129–211% more for the same chemotherapy infusion at a hospital outpatient clinic[7] — plus "facility fees" of $355 to $503 on routine visits.[8]
3. You pay the difference. Your 20% coinsurance applies to the bigger bill and the facility fee — $1.5 billion a year in extra beneficiary cost sharing, per MedPAC.[7]
1. Cuts close private practices. Only 42% of physicians remain in private practice (60% in 2012); 82% now work for hospitals or corporate entities.[5] Of those who sold, 71% cited the need for higher payment rates.[6]
2. Hospital-owned care costs more. Medicare pays 194% more for the same echocardiogram and 129–211% more for the same chemotherapy infusion at a hospital outpatient clinic[7] — plus "facility fees" of $355 to $503 on routine visits.[8]
3. You pay the difference. Your 20% coinsurance applies to the bigger bill and the facility fee — $1.5 billion a year in extra beneficiary cost sharing, per MedPAC.[7]
Patients with chronic conditions — frequent visits, often fixed incomes — feel it fastest.
The fix is on the table. Bipartisan bills — the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (H.R. 8163, passed Ways & Means 44–0) and the Patients First Act — would tie payment to actual practice costs.[4] Keeping care in lower-cost settings would save patients over $90 billion in premiums and cost sharing over a decade.[9] Congress needs to hear from you.
The fix is on the table. Bipartisan bills — the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (H.R. 8163, passed Ways & Means 44–0) and the Patients First Act — would tie payment to actual practice costs.[4] Keeping care in lower-cost settings would save patients over $90 billion in premiums and cost sharing over a decade.[9] Congress needs to hear from you.
TAKE ACTION
Find your members of Congress and send your letter
1. Enter your ZIP to see your members of Congress.
2. Add your name and city — your letter is written for you.
3. Tap Send via Democracy.io: paste your letter, add your address, and it goes to all three at once.
2. Add your name and city — your letter is written for you.
3. Tap Send via Democracy.io: paste your letter, add your address, and it goes to all three at once.
Sources
1. CMS, CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (CMS-1848-P), displayed July 14, 2026; comments due September 14, 2026. CMS fact sheet · Federal Register
2. Proposed CY 2027 conversion factors: $32.8409 (non-QP, −1.68%) and $33.1693 (QP, −1.19%) vs. CY 2026; proposed Medicare Economic Index +2.5%. Same sources as [1].
3. American Medical Association, statement on bipartisan Medicare reform, July 15, 2026. AMA statement
4. H.R. 8163, Provider Reimbursement Stability Act (approved by House Ways & Means 44–0, May 21, 2026); Patients First Act (introduced July 15, 2026). AMA summary · Patients First Act release
5. Physicians Advocacy Institute / Avalere Health, Physician Employment Trends and Practice Acquisitions 2018–2026 (data as of Jan 1, 2026): 82.0% of physicians employed by hospitals or corporate entities; 63.9% of practices non-physician-owned. PAI–Avalere report. AMA 2024 Physician Practice Benchmark Survey: 42.2% of physicians in private practice vs. 60.1% in 2012. AMA survey (PDF)
6. AMA 2024 Benchmark Survey: 70.8% of physicians whose practices were sold to hospitals/health systems cited the need to negotiate higher payment rates as an important reason. AMA survey (PDF)
7. MedPAC, June 2023 Report to Congress, Ch. 8: echocardiogram paid 194% more in hospital outpatient departments; aligning payment across settings would have cut beneficiary cost sharing by $1.5B in 2021. MedPAC report (PDF). KFF: drug/chemo administration paid 129–211% more in HOPDs; heaviest chemotherapy users would save ~$1,055/yr in cost sharing under site-neutral payment. KFF analysis
8. Stateline / KFF Health News reporting on facility fees ($503, $488, $355 patient examples). Stateline · PIRG
9. Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: full site-neutral payment would reduce beneficiary premiums and cost sharing by over $90B across a decade. CRFB analysis
Legislator lookup data: 5 Calls / unitedstates project (public data). This page stores nothing — your ZIP, name, and letter never leave your browser except when you submit them to Congress yourself.
© 2026 Dr. Caleb Masterson · DrCalebMasterson.com