24 Groups Urge Congress to Pass the Patients First Act | Patients Rising

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2026

24 Groups Urge Congress to Pass the Patients First Act

WASHINGTON – Today, 24 organizations, representing communities in rare disease, oncology, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, neurological disease, and chronic pain, sent a letter to congressional leaders encouraging them to advance the Patients First Act (H.R. 9693) to safeguard patient access to care.

The joint letter expresses profound concern over the financial and operational challenges facing physicians across the United States, which are limiting access to care for patients. According to the American Medical Association, physician pay has declined by 33% when adjusted for inflation since 2001, driven in part by outdated budget neutrality rules and annual cuts.

Coupled with rising practice costs and an increasingly strained workforce unable to meet patient and staffing needs and demands in many communities, these cuts have elevated the risk that community practices may stop taking Medicare beneficiaries, sell their practices to larger healthcare systems, or close altogether. Patients, especially those in rural communities, already face a shortage of nearby physicians and often have to travel long distances to receive care.

“Medicare cuts threaten the sustainability of physicians’ practices and patients’ access to quality healthcare services. As part of our commitment to quality, access and affordable healthcare, we call on Congress to advance the Patients First Act, which would help ensure that patients can continue to access medical care,” said Terry Wilcox, Co-Founder and CEO of Patients Rising, which led the letter.

If passed, the Patients First Act would:

• Provide a permanent annual payment update linked to inflation.
• Update budget neutrality policies to help create predictable payment updates.
• Empower physicians to participate in value-based care models.
• Enact smart reforms to alternative payment models.

“As a diverse group of organizations advocating on behalf of America’s patients, we are pleased to share our support for the Patients First Act (H.R. 9693) and kindly ask leadership to advance this bipartisan priority this year so that Americans can reap the benefits of a more stable, adaptive, and effective healthcare system,” the letter concluded.

Read the full letter and list of signers (PDF).
Learn more about the bill by reading our latest blog:  The Patients First Act: Why We're Fighting to Keep the Doctor's Door Open.

###