Doctors will incur a 5.1 percent cut in their reimbursement rates for Medicare patients next year, according to proposed federal rules announced August 8. The proposed cut in payments to doctors was expected, although the American Medical Association has aggressively lobbied Congress to step in. An AMA survey of providers in early 2006 indicated that if the payment cuts kick in, 45 percent of physicians plan to either stop accepting or decrease the number of new Medicare patients and 43 percent will either stop accepting or decrease the number of new Tricare patients. Doctors have 60 days to submit their comments on the proposed rule changes.