AMA statement on Senate passing reconciliation bill

Statement attributable to:
Bobby Mukkamala, M.D.
President, American Medical Association 

“When the House passed its reconciliation bill, the AMA made clear that any legislation Congress passes must not result in millions of Medicaid patients losing access to coverage. The fact remains that the Senate legislation will make it harder for those who are currently enrolled in or eligible for benefits to sign up and maintain access to care. 

“The cuts to federal health care programs, including Medicaid and CHIP, will shift costs to the states and specifically to physicians and hospitals to provide uncompensated care at a time when rural hospitals and physician practices are struggling to keep their doors open. 

“While we appreciate that the bill provides a temporary lift for Medicare payments in 2026, it falls short of the House-passed language tying Medicare updates to the Medicare Economic Index and far short of what is needed to preserve access to care for America’s seniors.”

****

The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care.  The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.