We were so close to achieving real reform with a bill that would permanently eliminate the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula—but the Senate was unable to clear some procedural hurdles in time and left for recess before taking action.
Now, physicians will face uncertainties and claims disruptions when a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements takes effect on April 1. The missed deadline will significantly complicate practice operations such as billing, collecting payment copayments, reconciling how claims paid are later readjusted, and so forth. All of this could have been avoided if Congress had stayed with its self-imposed deadline for action.
The policy, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support (a vote of 392 to 37), would put in place marked reforms that would have used practical solutions to problems that have plagued the Medicare system for years, improving the health of our nation. It would also ensure access to care for children and low income individuals.
It is time to build a stable, sustainable Medicare program. Physicians are always working to provide the highest quality of care for their patients, and the bipartisan bill passed by the House provides a clear pathway for them to do that. I urge the Senate to immediately address this issue upon its return and once-and-for-all lay this destructive issue to rest by building the stable and sustainable Medicare program that our nation’s patients and physicians need and deserve.
Contact your senators and urge them to support H.R. 2 when they get back from their vacation in any of the following ways:
- Call your senators using the AMA’s toll-free Physicians Grassroots Hotline at 1-800-833-6354.
- Send an urgent email to your senators reinforcing the need for SGR repeal now.
- Contact senators directly through their own social media channels, and share your message with your own Facebook friends and Twitter followers.
Visit Fix Medicare Now for easy ways to make your voice heard on this important matter. Patients and physicians deserve better.
