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Welcome to the American College of Physicians' Legislative Action Center. This advocacy tool enables ACP to send out action alerts, inform our members of critical health policy issues, and put our members in contact with their legislators. |
Background
On July 15, Representatives John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA-13), Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC-03), and Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA-08) – chairs of the GOP and Democratic Doctors Caucuses — introduced the bipartisan Patients First Act of 2026.
ACP, a longtime advocate for strengthening primary care, applauded the bill's introduction. The legislation includes several reforms ACP has championed, which would:
- Update the Medicare physician fee schedule with inflationary adjustments for long-term stability.
- Increase investment in primary care through a hybrid payment demonstration project, supporting independent physician-owned practices without patient cost sharing.
- Raise the threshold for triggering budget neutrality in Medicare, reducing the likelihood of negative payment adjustments.
- Require retroactive adjustments to correct inaccurate payment estimates.
If enacted, the Patients First Act would provide much-needed reform to how Medicare pays physicians.
Action Requested
Please email your U.S. Representative and urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 9693, the Patients First Act of 2026. A sample message is provided below and can be personalized. Please contact Shuan Tomlinson or Aleah Jensen with any questions about this campaign. Thank you for your continued advocacy.