08/30/2026
This just popped up on my feed. Everybody should take a minute to comment:
A Dallas surgeon's warning: one doctor visit is about to become two.
Neighbors — I'm Dr. Ford Albritton, a sinus and ENT surgeon here in Dallas, practicing in this community for over two decades. I don't post about policy, but because this one will directly change the care your family receives, bear with me.
Medicare has proposed cutting physician payment in half when a doctor diagnoses AND treats a problem in the same visit. In practice: the issue gets found today, but you come back another day for treatment. Two appointments, two trips, two copays — or an ER bill for something that used to be handled in the office.
And this won't stay a Medicare problem. Blue Cross, United, Aetna, since the other commercial insurers routinely copy Medicare's payment rules to cut their own costs. What Medicare does this year shows up in employer and marketplace plans soon after. This is a preview of everyone's healthcare.
Here's why commenting isn't shouting into the void: federal law REQUIRES Medicare to read, consider, and formally respond to every single comment before finalizing this rule. Comments aren't a petition — they're part of the legal record, and if enough expose the flaws, rules get withdrawn or struck down in court. It's happened before.
Your three minutes creates a legal obligation for them. Your three minutes will save HOURS in ER rooms or weeks getting an appointment in the future. No account, no letter, no phone call.
Here is what you do:
1) Go to:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/CMS-2026-2377
2) Click "Comment"
3) Paste or adapt:
"I oppose the 50% cut to same-day care. My doctor should be able to diagnose and treat me in one visit. Please withdraw this proposal."
4) Where it asks "I am submitting as..." choose Individual, and give your name rather than commenting anonymously. Named comments carry more weight than anonymous ones
5) Submit. You'll get a confirmation — that's it.
Deadline is September 14. Please share with anyone in the neighborhood. This is Not simply a Medicare issue.
Not political — just practical.
