0.5 percent pay hike for the remainder of 2008 and include as much as a 1.8 percent for 2009 --> US House and Senate Take Action to Block Looming Physician Payment Cuts

[Guest guest]

Another bandage on the faulty underlying formula for determining Medicare pay increases.

I will likely continue to see my current Medicare, but stop seeing new patients after July 1, 2008.

Locke, MD

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http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main & bill=s110-2785

Here is the actual bill proposed...

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-2785

http://www.cap.org/apps/cap.portal?_nfpb=true & cntvwrPtlt_actionOverride=%2Fportlets%2FcontentViewer%2Fshow & _windowLabel=cntvwrPtlt & cntvwrPtlt%7BactionForm.contentReference%7D=statline%2Findex.html & _state=maximized & _pageLabel=cntvwr#Story1

US House and Senate Take Action to Block Looming Physician Payment Cuts

The Save Medicare Act of 2008 was introduced in the US Senate March 13 aiming to cancel the scheduled 10.6 percent Medicare payment cut for physicians set for July 1 and replace it with an 18-month pay hike.

S. 2785, introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), would replace the scheduled cut with a 0.5 percent pay hike for the remainder of 2008 and include as much as a 1.8 percent pay raise in 2009.

This action follows the recent introduction of H.R. 5445 by Reps. Tom Price (R-GA) and (D-GA), legislation that would delay pending cuts to Medicare payments to doctors for 18 months, from July 1, 2008, thru Dec. 31, 2009, in order to give Congress adequate time to find an appropriate long-term solution to the Medicare reimbursement problem.

H.R. 5445 was referred Feb. 14 to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and continues to build support with 28 cosponsors.

The College, as part of a unified effort among the medical community, is working closely with the American Medical Association on a legislative solution to repeal the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate formula, used to determine physician payment rates.

The College and the American Medical Association will continue to work on a bipartisan basis with Congress to block the looming cuts and replace the flawed SGR formula with a more sound funding structure that does not require legislative action every year.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/399/nac_costs.pdf

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/18326.html#Story1

1) Physicians and patients to Congress: Stop Medicare physician payment cuts, preserve seniors’ access to careThe AMA strongly supports a new bill that would replace 18 months of cuts in Medicare payments to physicians with payment updates that better reflect medical practice cost increases.

The Save Medicare Act of 2008 (S. 2785), introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would...--prevent a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare physician payments planned for July 1, --retain current levels for the remainder of 2008 and --enact a 1.8 percent increase for 2009. It would also continue rural extender provisions that are set to expire, such as the floor for Work Geographic Practice Cost Indices and the bonus for physician scarcity areas.

A new public poll released this week by the AMA showed that eight out of 10 Americans polled are concerned about access to care for seniors and baby boomers and nearly three-quarters of Americans believe Congress should stop the cuts so that physicians can continue to care for Medicare patients. Fully 88 percent of current Medicare patients are worried about how the cuts will impact their access to health care, while 30 percent of Medicare patients looking for a new primary care physician are already having trouble finding one.

“Congress has only a short window of time to act as the first Medicare cut begins in three months,” said AMA Trustee A. Hazel, MD. “Physicians, and now patients, have spoken: Congress should stop the cuts to preserve seniors’ access to care.”

You have a chance to speak with Congress as well. In less than two weeks, members of the AMA and AMA Alliance will rally April 2 at Capitol Hill’s Upper Senate Park in support of the bill, as part of the AMA National Advocacy Conference, April 1–2.

Learn more about the National Advocacy Conference and register.

View the AMA’s news release about the poll.

Physicians are urged to visit the Web site or call to get in touch with their members of Congress in support of S. 2785.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/18325.html#Story1

1) AMA applauds new Senate bill to stop Medicare physician cutsThe AMA welcomed a new bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., this week that would replace 18 months of Medicare payment cuts to physicians with payment updates that better reflect medical practice cost increases.

In three short months, Medicare will cut physician payments by 10.6 percent. Right now, 60 percent of physicians say the cut will force them to limit the number of new Medicare patients they can treat. The 18-month timeframe in the Save Medicare Act of 2008 (S. 2785) will inject some stability into the system for seniors as well as physicians forced to make difficult practice decisions because of planned payment cuts. It will also give Congress time to begin working on a long-term solution to the broken payment system without having to take action to stop the cuts twice in one year.

Earlier this week, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made a recommendation to lawmakers to replace physician payment cuts with updates that reflect medical practice cost increases.

“Senator Stabenow’s bill is an important step toward implementing this recommendation, and we urge Congress to act before the cut begins this July and seniors’ access to care is negatively affected,” said AMA President-elect H. Nielsen, MD, Ph.D.

Next month, you can address this issue face to face with members of Congress at the AMA National Advocacy Conference, April 1–2. As part of the conference, members of the AMA and AMA Alliance will rally April 2 at Capitol Hill’s Upper Senate Park in support of the bill. Prior to the rally, attendees will hear from insiders about the political climate on Capitol Hill and get the latest on medicine’s legislative priorities.

Learn more about the National Advocacy Conference and register.

Call or visit the Web site to get in touch with your members of Congress in support of S. 2785.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/18030.html

Medicare physician payment campaign checklist e-mail story | print story

Please use the following checklist as suggestions of tactics that can be employed by state medical and medical specialty societies. If assistance is needed, AMA staff will be available to help coordinate.

Meet with your U.S. Senators in state and ask them to co-sponsor S.2785, The Save Medicare Act of 2008 (PDF, 32KB)

Attend your senator’s town hall meeting

Invite your congressional delegation to a town hall meetingsponsored by a state or county medical society

Meet with editorial boards

Send a letter to your senators

Send a letter/grassroots alert to your membersSample Alert

Publish editorial/column in your newsletter

Submit letter to the editorSample (PDF, 10.1KB)

Distribute talking points to grassrootsSample (PDF, 31.6KB)

Conduct local press conference with physician leaders and patients