Two decades of Medicare payment cuts associated with growing barriers to patient care

MedicalXpress | 七月 28, 2026

A new study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that persistent declines in Medicare physician reimbursement are associated with widening disparities in access to care, with patients in rural communities, low-income areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods falling further behind their more urban, affluent and advantaged counterparts. The study, based on 4.7 million unique patients over the 2005–2023 period, was published in INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing.