Comment on CMS-2026-2377-0001

1. If patient care is important to the American public, this Physician Fee Schedule will severely and irreversibly harm Medicare patients. As a specialist, I am already witnessing the PFS devaluation of physicians with the direct effect of patients unable to find competent physician led care—physicians across all specialties are severely limiting or not seeing any Medicare patients. Medicare patients are forced to either see a non-physician or enter a corporatized system that continues to marginalize the vulnerable Medicare population. This limited access and substandard care (often made purposely difficult to navigate for Medicare patients by corporate entities) will worsen with this PFS. This PFS will see a continuation of unanticipated elevation of costs as seen with current Medicare Advantage programs—so patient care, access and costs of this PFS will all be negatively affected for Medicare patients. Independent practices cannot sustain the continued cuts and take care of Medicare patients. Inflation has decimated overhead budgets and the continued downward trend of the PFS will hasten physician retirement and even less access to competent care for Medicare patients. This is unconscionable to force on Medicare patients and will further embolden health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry to monopolize the system away from the physician independence that has an oath to protect patients. These entities will create protocols to maximize reimbursement and steal from the American tax payers and this cut to Medicare patients care supports. With physicians providing 100% of the care and responsibility of patient care, they only account for 8% of the ~4.5 trillion dollars spent on healthcare. This makes no sense to continually decrease reimbursement with so many other entities that are taking from the system. I hope CMS can look at this from a patient centered perspective rather than corporate board revenues. Tax payers and Medicare patients deserve better.