“If reimbursement continues to decline, it will force more doctors to close their doors or merge with larger health care systems in urban areas, meaning longer drives and wait times for appointments for many Americans.” - @Terrilox of @patientsrising

brnw.ch/21x6D3Z

Halloween is scary.
So are prior authorizations delaying or denying patient care.

Join us in our effort to #FixPriorAuth: bit.ly/483MO5u

New AMA analysis shows 94% of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) markets were highly concentrated in 2024. Policymakers must act for increased transparency and accountability. bit.ly/4yZMpwY

🗣️ Your voice can influence the future of healthcare.

Join the Patients Action Network today to access tools to support you as you start or continue your advocacy journey. bit.ly/3U3HbB8

It’s IN the computer.

Under CMS-0057-F, your Electronic Health Records (EHR) should be able to check if prior auth is needed, pull the paperwork, and submit it. No fax, no phone tag, no payer portals. #FixPriorAuth

Beginning Jan 1, 2027 it’s all in the EHR! Ask your vendor now.

“When payment fails to cover the true cost of care, those cuts are felt elsewhere.”

In the @bostonherald, Dr. Daniel Solomon shares his perspective on how Medicare payment instability is impacting communities and patients across America. Read more:

bostonherald.com/2026/10/12/let…

You're comparing premiums. You're checking deductibles. But are you asking how many hoops you'll have to jump through to get care?

One question many employees never think to ask: How does this plan use prior authorization?

Learn more: bit.ly/4ehPxMh

#FixPriorAuth

Medicare Open Enrollment started this week.

In 2024, @KFF revealed that Medicare Advantage plans denied 4.1 million prior auth requests.

Only about 1 in 9 denials was appealed — and roughly 4 in 5 appeals won.

Know your plan. Appeal denials. #FixPriorAuth

When you review your health benefits, ask about more than cost. Ask your employer:
✅ Does this plan require prior auth?
✅ For what services?
✅ How often are requests denied or delayed?
The right coverage should help you get care, not stand in the way of it.
#FixPriorAuth

When insurers delay medically necessary care, the consequences can be devastating. This heartbreaking story is a reminder that prior authorization and other coverage barriers are more than administrative hassles. Patients' lives are at stake. #FixPriorAuth
bit.ly/3VCs9CQ

H.R. 1 (a.k.a. the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) is taking effect now.

Changes to Medicaid and other federal health coverage programs could impact how patients get and maintain coverage and access care.

Here’s what’s changing now and what’s ahead:

What does Medicare physician payment have to do with whether you can get an appointment with your doctor? More than most patients realize.

The cost of running a medical practice keeps rising, and when Medicare payments fail to keep pace, independent practices can face decisions about whether they can continue serving Medicare patients or remain open at all.

That is why Patients Rising is supporting the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693, which would change how Medicare physician payments are calculated and provide more predictable annual updates tied to the cost of delivering care.
Because for patients, this is not just a payment formula. It can mean whether your doctor’s door is still open when you need it.

Ask your representative to support H.R. 9693, the Patients First Act.

New AMA analysis shows the 4 largest PBMs hold 75% of the national market, and in 69% of the market, PBMs are vertically integrated with insurers. Policymakers must act for increased transparency and accountability.

ama-assn.org/system/files/p…

Getting an appointment shouldn’t depend on whether your doctor can afford to keep the doors open.

Yet across the country, patients are waiting longer, traveling farther and watching independent practices disappear from their communities. Medicare physician payment, adjusted for practice-cost inflation, has fallen 33% over the past 25 years. For patients, that erosion can eventually show up as fewer doctors, fewer appointments and fewer options close to home.

The Patients First Act (H.R. 9693) takes aim at the payment policies contributing to that problem, including annual reimbursement updates and Medicare’s budget-neutrality rules. Patients Rising is supporting the legislation and bringing the patient voice into a debate that can determine whether care remains accessible in the communities that need it.

Read why we’re fighting to keep the doctor’s door open: hubs.ly/Q04z6ptt0

An important issue could have real repercussions in healthcare: A $103,000 visa fee could have a very real impact on whether some communities can access quality care from a doctor.

That’s why the AMA is urging the Administration to exempt physicians from the proposed H-1B fee. 1/3

94% of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) markets were highly concentrated in 2024.

And concentration is growing – which can have far-reaching consequences for patients and what they may pay out of pocket.

ICYMI: Lawmakers discussed the Patients First Act in the @HouseCommerce.

"The bipartisan enthusiasm [at the hearing] showed how support in Congress for a permanent Medicare payment redesign is growing," Capstone analyst Will Humphrey wrote in a note.

statnews.com/2026/09/24/pat…

AMA President Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, Addresses Impact of $103,000 H-1B Visa Petition Fee:

Thank you to @RepGregMurphy for the continued support of the Patients First Act!

reflector.com/opinion/letter…

Without the Patients First Act, “medical practices face pressure to cut services and treatments, stop accepting new patients, or close their doors entirely when reimbursements fall significantly below costs,” from @Wenatcheeworld.

wenatcheeworld.com/opinion/opinio…