1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the Medicare payment cuts to dermatology proposed in the CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), cuts that put timely, life-saving skin cancer care at risk in our community. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in America, but survival drops from 99% to 35% when diagnosis is delayed. Despite these facts, the proposed cuts will sharply reduce reimbursement and penalize dermatology clinics for performing a biopsy, a very necessary procedure on the same day as an exam. In many areas, the cuts will even drop Medicare rates below Medicaid levels, squeezing local practices and sharply reducing Americans' access to care. I had a biopsy the same, day years ago, and it was found to be melanoma. Fortunately, it was in situ, which means it was encased, and had not spread. Had this rule been ineffective at the time, I would have had to wait for another appointment and that might have given the melanoma enough time to spread. Also, with gas prices as they are today, it would have cost much more just to travel. If these cuts are allowed to go into effect, older Americans and other vulnerable patients will pay the price through long waits, long drives, delayed care, and worse outcomes. Please protect our access to local, timely skin cancer care, and call on Dr. Oz to reject the MPFS dermatology cuts. Better yet, please write legislation that does not allow this cut to happen. This Administration has made us less healthy and less safe cuts like these, cuts to food, safety, cuts to environmental conditions that keep water and air safe. We Americans look to you to do what this administration has failed to do.