1. United States
2. Conn.
3. Letter

Please oppose CMS's proposed 9% cut to Medicare dermatology reimbursements before the September 14 comment deadline. This reduction would bring payments back to 2001 dollar levels — a real-world cut that would gut the resources independent practices need to stay open. On top of that, CMS is also proposing a 50% cut for same-day procedures, meaning patients who come in to get a spot checked would have to leave and return another day for a biopsy. The people who will feel this most are rural residents and seniors. When reimbursements drop, physician salaries and overhead don't — so practices cut everything else: staff, technology, appointment availability. Fewer practices accepting Medicare means longer wait times, delayed diagnoses, and patients driving farther for basic skin cancer screenings. This is not a marginal inconvenience. It is a structural dismantling of community dermatology access for the patients who can least afford to lose it.