On December 1st, physicians face a potential 23 percent payment cut – the single largest cut in the history of the Medicare program.  And this cut will be followed by a second cut of more than six percent on January 1st if Congress fails to act.

 The AOA, OOA,  and other state and national physician organizations are working on your behalf, but we need you  to contact  your Congressional representatives now to let them know they can't allow this to happen.  The AOA launched a letter-writing campaign during the San Francisco convention that aims to show, in volume and urgency, the need for a reformed physician payment system.   We want to make communicating with Congress as easy as possible so click here to send a letter today! 

Medicare payment rates today are the same as they were in 2001.  The 23 percent reduction will occur from the expiration of a temporary fix Congress passed in June that averted the 21.3% cut in Medicare payments to physicians this year.  That temporary fix also included a 2.2% increase in payments.