Medicare reform gets bipartisan, majority support

The following statement is attributable to:
Bruce A. Scott, M.D.
President, American Medical Association

“The issue bringing together a divided Washington today is the awareness that Medicare patients must continue to have access to medical care. The House position is clear now that 233 members of the House — a solid, bipartisan majority — are urging the Speaker to tackle Medicare reform during the lame duck.

Members from both parties have signed a Dear Colleague calling for a legislative fix to the pending 2.8 percent Medicare payment cut. Without congressional action, the cut will go into effect Jan. 1. Unlike past congressional efforts, this letter also requests a payment update to reflect inflationary pressures on physician practices.

“As the letter says, the Medicare physician payment system is ‘inherently broken.’ Indeed, Medicare payment rates have fallen by 29 percent over the past two decades, when adjusting for the costs of running a practice, threatening patient access and practice viability. Patient access to Medicare is especially imperiled in rural areas and underserved communities. The letter notes, ‘This ever-widening gap between what Medicare pays physicians and other clinicians and the cost of delivering quality care to patients demands Congressional intervention.’

“We have an upcoming election and only a short time to act. But the good news is that instead of gridlock, we have agreement. Instead of conflict, we have compromise. Let’s get to work and pass these crucial policy changes before the end of the year.”

The letter and the list of signatures can be found here.