ACP applauds the introduction of the Patients First Act of 2026

Statement attributable to: 
Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, MACP
President, American College of Physicians 

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2026—The American College of Physicians (ACP) applauds the release of the Patients First Act of 2026. The bill, if enacted, includes a number of patient-centered policies, including increasing the investment in primary care without patient cost sharing through a hybrid payment demonstration project, which will aid independent physician-owned practices.

ACP has been a staunch advocate for the need to bolster and support primary care.  With a worsening primary care physician shortage and growing demand placed on the existing health workforce, it is even more imperative for Congress to act to protect patients’ access by expanding the pipeline of future physicians and investing in primary care.  The evidence clearly shows that high-quality primary care is critical for achieving health care’s quadruple aim (enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the health care team experience). We are optimistic, if implemented, that this Medicare hybrid payment demonstration project will go far to protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to care by bolstering the primary care workforce while assuring that patients do not bear the brunt of cost sharing. 

ACP is also pleased to see that the bill includes an inflationary update for the Medicare physician fee schedule and increases the threshold for triggering budget neutrality, both of which are policies ACP has been seeking. These changes will provide much needed stability for the Medicare physician fee schedule over the long term. We thank the sponsors of this legislation for taking action and their leadership on these issues.

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About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our new RSS feed. 

Contact: Laura Baldwin, (215) 351-2668, lbaldwin@acponline.org