Republicans have introduced a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 2025, with a vote expected as early as March 11

The continuing resolution extends Medicare telehealth and hospital-at-home programs, delays Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts, and provides six months of funding for community health centers, graduate medical education, and other expiring health programs -- though for a shorter duration than the December healthcare package.

Notably, the legislation excludes provisions to address the 2.83% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement. A 2.5% temporary Medicare physician fee increase took effect Jan. 1 but is absent from the House's latest spending package

The proposed spending package "locks in a devastating fifth consecutive year of Medicare cuts, threatening access to care for 66 million Medicare patients," Bruce Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. "Lawmakers are once again ignoring the dire consequences of these cuts and their impact both on patients and the private practices struggling to keep their doors open."

When adjusted for inflation, Medicare payment to physician practices has dropped 33% since 2000, and further cuts will force more practices to scale back services or close, particularly those in rural communities, according to the AMA.

"These physicians and their patients have borne the brunt of the rising practice costs -- 3.5% this year according to Medicare's own estimate," Dr. Scott said. "The window to reverse this reckless decision is rapidly closing. Lawmakers must explain either why protecting access to quality health care is not a priority or how they plan to fix it."

The Medical Group Management Association, which represents more than 15,000 medical groups, echoed the AMA's comments and urged Congress to address the proposed Medicare payment cut.

"Congress must act swiftly to include the previously agreed-upon "doc-fix" provisions within H.R. 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, in the upcoming government funding package ahead of any vote," Anders Gilberg, MGMA's senior vice president of government affairs, said. "Failure to do so would mean another year of unkept promises to physicians, signaling little regard for medical practices or our nation's seniors."