More than 600 physician organizations Wednesday asked Congress to pass a bill that would repeal Medicare’s SGR payment formula before a 24 percent cut takes effect April 1.
In a letter to the leadership in the Senate and House of Representatives, the organizations, including the AMA, called for quick action to pass the bipartisan, bicameral legislation. It notes that Congress has spent $153.7 billion on 16 SGR patches over the last decade – far more than the cost of permanently fixing the physician payment system.
“Further reliance on legislative patches is fiscally irresponsible,” the letter states. “We can no longer afford to spend taxpayer money on stopgap measures that preserve a failed policy.”
The letter includes signatures from organizations such as the American College of Physicians and state organizations representing a broad range of physician specialties.
“The physician community stands ready and eager to work with you to advance this critical legislation to build a more stable Medicare program that will better serve America’s senior citizens,” the letter states.
Physicians can email their lawmakers today and tell them the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 represents a fiscally prudent solution that physicians expect from Congress. Or, they can call their members of Congress via the AMA’s Physicians Grassroots Network hotline at (800) 833-6354. Tell them to repeal SGR and co-sponsor the bill, H.R. 4015/S. 2000.
