Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Trump on Friday, March 14, funds the federal government through Sept. 30 but fails to address dozens of critical policies, including funding for a needed payment boost under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
"Congress' failure to address the 2025 Medicare fee schedule in the recently passed Continuing Resolution is a direct betrayal of Medicare beneficiaries and a significant frustration to health care providers, including physical therapists," said APTA President Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, in a statement to APTA members. "The promise made by congressional leaders to address the fee schedule in the upcoming budget reconciliation offers no relief to the immediate crisis facing health care providers today."
As APTA reported earlier, Congress passed a CR in December 2024 that funded the government through March 14 and extended telehealth waivers but failed to provide extra funding to address the 2025 fee schedule cuts. It was expected this additional funding would be included in the new package, and this second failure sparked an outcry from various health care provider and patient groups including APTA and the American Medical Association.
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., APTA, AMA, and other health care provider groups have been pushing to include the APTA-supported Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 879) in the legislative package. H.R. 879, sponsored by Murphy, would fully eliminate the 2.8% fee schedule cut and provide for an inflation adjustment starting April 1. On Feb. 28, APTA joined AMA and 90 other national health care provider groups in a joint letter to the Congress urging them to include H.R. 879 in the new spending package.
While Congress failed to address the fee schedule, lawmakers are seeking other options to address Medicare payment, including a potential stand-alone bill to address all of the health care policies that were left out of the CR package. In addition, House leaders have stated that they could address the fee schedule in the upcoming budget reconciliation package; however, the timing of when Congress will take up that legislation is unclear.
"APTA remains resolute in its commitment to obtaining fair reimbursement and sustainable payment policies and ensuring the long-term viability of physical therapy practices," Covington said. "We will persist in our advocacy efforts, working with our members and lawmakers to secure a permanent solution that prioritizes patient access and appropriately values the services we provide."
