For immediate release: March 10, 2025
Contact:
Julie Hirschhorn
AAFP Public Relations
jhirschhorn@aafp.org
Statement attributable to:
Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
“The current legislative funding package fails to make necessary long-term investments in primary care and does not prioritize improving patient access. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) calls on Congress to break this cycle of piecemeal patches and swiftly enact policies that bolster the primary care workforce and appropriately value and equip family physicians to care for their patients and create a more sustainable health care system.
First and foremost, family physicians are disappointed that Congress is choosing not to address cuts to Medicare payment, making it harder for practices to keep their doors open and for patients to access care. This marks five consecutive years that physicians have experienced cuts in their Medicare payments, further eroding the stability of the practice environment and threatening access to physician care for millions of seniors. We, along with the entire physician community, continue to advocate in support of an annual inflationary update to Medicare physician payment based upon the Medicare Economic Index.
The AAFP is appreciative that the legislative package includes short-term reauthorization of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program and the National Health Service Corps through September. However, we maintain that patchwork funding is not the solution. We need permanent reauthorization to help attract and retain physicians in rural and medically underserved communities. The THCGME program not only trains family physicians but meets an important need of providing access to care in underserved communities. Lack of stable funding puts this program in jeopardy.
Similarly, we appreciate that existing telehealth flexibilities have been extended through September. But again, permanent policies are necessary to provide certainty and to allow the patient and their physician to decide the most appropriate modality for care.
Congress must put primary care at the forefront—patients, families and communities depend on it.”
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About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 128,300 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.