APMA continues to monitor and advocate for members as the Senate continues to debate its version of the Budget Reconciliation Bill. The Senate met over the weekend to adjust its legislation and address senators’ concerns.
On June 27, APMA sent a letter to Senate leadership outlining its priorities for the Reconciliation Bill:
- Medicare Physician Payment
The bill includes a temporary one-year 2.5-percent bump to the physician fee schedule for 2026. APMA appreciates that the Senate included a temporary fix and continues to urge Congress to stabilize the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to protect access to care for the seniors podiatric physicians serve.
- Pass-Through Entity Taxes
The Senate bill partially addresses the pass-through entity tax (PTET) cap. APMA continues to call on Congress to allow small practices to retain the full deduction. APMA’s letter outlines the need to fix this glitch in the House bill to ensure that small medical practices are not unfairly penalized.
- Medicaid
APMA continues to caution against Medicaid cuts that would impact patient access to care by podiatrists, especially for individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes. APMA will continue to monitor this issue to ensure that access to care, particularly for the most vulnerable patients, is protected.
- Student Loans
APMA continues to work with the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, the American Podiatric Medical Students’ Association, and other medical and dental societies to protect medical student loan programs that help podiatric medical students. APMA called on the Senate to preserve the Grad PLUS loan program, raise borrowing caps for students in professional-degree programs from the House-passed bill, allow for interest-free deferment during residency, and maintain Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility throughout residency training.
Given the fluid and ongoing negotiations on the Budget Reconciliation Bill, changes are possible during the amendment process, often called “vote-a-rama.” Once the Senate passes its Reconciliation Bill package, it goes back to the House for passage. APMA will continue its efforts to promote and protect the interests of the podiatric medical profession and the patients our members serve.