Physicians treating Medicare patients are staring down the barrel of five consecutive years of cuts to their reimbursement rates.
In January, CMS proposed the 2026 reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers. From 2025 to 2026, MA plans will likely receive a 4.33% average payment increase — higher than the expected health care inflation rate — but physicians treating Medicare patients will have their pay cut by 2.8%. According to the Medicare Economic Index, practice costs have risen by 3.5%.
Over the last 20 years, Medicare physician pay has dropped (Read more...)