Advocacy & Practice Updates — Advocacy & Practice
Senate Version of GOP-Agenda Bill Bumps Physician Pay in 2026; Final Passage Expected this Week
After initially failing to address Medicare physician payment in the Republican agenda bill currently making its way through Congress, Senate leadership added a provision for a one-time increase of 2.5% to physician payment in 2026 in the version that passed the chamber earlier today. As we reported previously, the version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (H.R. 1) that passed the House had included a modest inflationary adjustment to the physician fee schedule for 2026 and beyond.
Now that the measure has passed the Senate, it must return to the House for a final vote on the amended version. If Representatives do not accept the changes the Senate made, it could trigger a conference committee between the two houses to work out the differences in the bill.
The House is not expected to reject the modification to the physician payment provision, but other issues such as, Medicaid cuts, tax provisions, and other non-healthcare related items may meet opposition. Despite this, the overall bill with the 2026 payment increase is expected to be enacted shortly.
(Published 7.1.25)