How physician fees have changed in the last 40 years

Becker's Healthcare March 7, 2024
Mariah Taylor

Nearly 20% of people in the U.S. receive health insurance through the Medicare program, but changes in physician fee schedules have made it more difficult for providers to stay in practice, according to a March 6 report from KFF.

Here is a brief overview of major changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule in the last 40 years.

Congress introduced the first physician feed schedule in 1989 and the fee schedule was phased into use in 1992.

In 1997, the SGR formula was introduced.

In 2003 and 2004, Congress acted twice to avoid a reduction in fees under the SGR and included two temporary increases to physician payments.

Between 2006 and 2014, Congress acted 15 times to avoid reduction in...

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