ARLINGTON, Va., April, 2026 — Radiation oncologists from across the country are in Washington today warning lawmakers that recent Medicare policy changes threaten the viability of community cancer clinics, as new data point to widespread financial strain across the field. Members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) are urging legislators to support the bipartisan Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Act and other policies that will safeguard patient access to lifesaving cancer care.
The physicians are sharing results of ASTRO’s recent national physician survey that found community-based cancer centers face the risk of closing following recent Medicare changes to radiation treatment delivery codes. More than two-thirds of the respondents reported sudden, unexpected double-digit drops in reimbursement in the first months of 2026, and many said these declines place their clinics at risk of insolvency.
As one physician explained, “If these new cuts are sustained for longer than 1-2 months, we will be at a very real risk of needing to declare bankruptcy.” In an ASTRO survey last year, a third of doctors in rural areas said a cut of even 3-5% would force them to close, leave or sell their practice.
More than a million Americans rely on radiation therapy each year, yet Medicare reimbursement for radiation therapy has fallen 27% since 2013, more than most other medical specialties. These ongoing cuts are compounded by rising costs and increasing financial pressures that are driving rampant practice consolidation, reducing local access points and forcing patients in rural and suburban communities to travel farther for cancer care. A recent study found that the number of organizations employing radiation oncologists dropped 13% over the past decade.
“The data in our new survey signal a serious threat to cancer care access," said Sameer Keole, MD, FASTRO, Chair of ASTRO’s Board of Directors. “Community clinics face bankruptcy, prior authorization delays are growing worse, and research funding is under threat. Congress has the tools to fix these problems, and we're asking them to act now before people with cancer lose access to the care that can save their lives.”
Radiation oncologists will urge policymakers to co-sponsor and pass the ROCR Act (S.1031, H.R.2120) to bring much-needed relief to clinics and avoid creating radiation treatment deserts for patients. The bipartisan bill, led by Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), John Joyce, MD (R-Pa.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), would protect patient access by stabilizing and centering reimbursement around each patient’s individualized treatment plan rather than the number of treatments given.
ROCR is supported by nearly 30 Congressional co-sponsors and nearly 140 organizations representing a broad spectrum of oncology stakeholders including patient advocates, medical professionals, small and large hospital systems, academic centers, independent clinics and industry.
Prior Authorization
Radiation oncologists also are asking Congress to support bipartisan legislation to reform Medicare Advantage’s broken prior authorization system. Research shows that prior authorization requirements for radiation therapy fail to produce savings, ultimately costing taxpayers more than traditional Medicare plans.
ASTRO research points to widespread prior authorization delays and the many negative downstream effects they cause, from added patient anxiety to compromised treatment outcomes. For example, one-third of the radiation oncologists in a 2024 survey said prior authorization has led to adverse events such as hospitalization for their patients. Doctors also report increased prior authorization challenges from health insurers following the implementation of the new Medicare codes; survey respondents said, “processing time has doubled in 2026 relative to 2025 for a large swath of patients,” and that “it feels like insurance companies are trying to drown us in paperwork."
ASTRO members are asking legislators to address these issues by cosponsoring the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (S.1816, H.R.3514). The bill, which has more than 330 bipartisan cosponsors across both chambers, would codify rules that create more efficient windows for authorization requests and require greater transparency for denials and outcomes.
Radiation Research Funding
Bipartisan federal support for cancer research has contributed to a 34% reduction in cancer mortality since 1991, averting an estimated 4.8 million cancer deaths in the U.S. Moreover, investments in cancer research produce outsized economic benefit; in FY25, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) generated $94.2 billion in economic activity nationwide – $2.57 for every $1.00 invested in research funding – and supported more than 390,860 jobs.
Federal funding drives the discovery of new technologies and treatments, including radiation therapy breakthroughs for cancer and other diseases that increase patients’ survival chances and improve their quality of life, but this progress relies on sustained investment that grows with inflation.
Radiation oncologists therefore are asking lawmakers for robust federal investment in the research that drives these improvements: $51.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $7.99 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
(Newswise/MSM)
