The Medicare program plans to cut doctor payments for hip and knee replacement surgery by 20% in 2027. This includes no longer paying for the doctor to visit the patient in the hospital after surgery. However, doctors do a great deal of work before surgery to make patients healthy to improve outcomes. After surgery, doctors and their teams spend much time answering messages, calling patients, reviewing photos and ensuring patients are doing well after surgery, which is even more work when a patient goes home the same day.

Hip and knee replacement is a life-changing procedure that allows patients to live an active and independent life with exercise. 20% would be the biggest one-time Medicare cut for doctor services ever. Medicare already cut payments for hip and knee surgery by 7.5% last year, and 55% between 2005-2025.

Such a cut will cause more mergers, reduce the number of hip and knee surgeons and create longer wait times for surgery. Longer wait times means living with pain longer, and dealing with the consequences of limited mobility and activity which hurts the rest of the body. 

Please take action now to contact your Representative and Senators and ask them to tell CMS not to make cuts to hip and knee replacement surgery and not to end the chance for patients to see their doctor post-surgery.