On January 1, 2010 Medicare physician payments are scheduled to be cut by more than 20 percent. While Congress is committed to passing health system reform this year, it is critical that your Senators realize that real health system reform means repealing the flawed Medicare payment system so that you and your practice do not have to cope with yet another difficult cut.
Monday, October 19th the United States Senate will consider S 1776, known as the Medicare Physicians Fairness Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). This bill:
- Repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR);
- Wipes the slate clean by eliminating all debt that has accumulated under the current system;
- Sets future physician payment updates at zero percent.
While the NCMS and AMA do not support a zero percent update to future payments, this bill starts us down the path towards a permanent solution to an annual problem. Without the passage of this important legislation, you will see a 21% cut in Medicare reimbursement as of January 1, 2010.
Connect with Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan now and let them know:
- You support S 1776;
- S 1776 will allow you to continue to see Medicare patients and assure North Carolina’s seniors continued access to services;
- S 1776 is a much-needed permanent and long term solution to real health care reform.
Contact your Senators today at:
- Senator Richard Burr: 202-224-3154
- Senator Kay Hagan: 202-224-6342
For more information please visit the AMA grassroots action center at www.ama-assn.org/grassroots.
