WASHINGTON — Less than a month away from the new year, Congress is still on track to cut what the federal government reimburses doctors to treat Medicare patients.

At the start of 2023 the rates that Washington pays doctors to treat medicare patients will be cut by 4.5-percent, which some say could make it more difficult for Medicare patients to find an affordable doctor to treat them.

Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN-8th), who is a medical doctor by trade, said that cutting medicare reimbursements would be particularly tough on doctors in rural areas.

“For several months now I’ve been advocating for the Supporting Medicare Providers Act to prevent these cuts from taking effect,” Bucshon said. “These cuts pose risks to patient care and are especially unsustainable for physicians in rural areas and those trying to operate an independent practice.”

Bucshon said that doctors deserve to be paid fairly and that patients deserve to have proper access to healthcare services.

Many Medicare providers have advocated to Washington that the current rates at which they are reimbursed are already not sufficient.