Don't Mess With Vets Health Care

by: Care2 Health Issues

recipient: U.S. Congress

Our veterans have risked life and limb to keep our country and us safe. Many of them come home with serious physical and mental injuries and disabilities. If any American citizens deserve high-quality and easily-accessible medical care, it's these men and women. That's why we have TRICARE -- government-sponsored health insurance specifically for vets.



Yet Congress continues to gamble with health care for vets by refusing to deal with the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) -- the same formula that's used to decide how much to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients. If Congress does nothing, these payments could be slashed by nearly 25 percent on March 1, which would make the cost of seeing vets too expensive for doctors and potentially meaning some veterans won't be able to find a provider who can take their insurance.



The least we can do for Americans who risked it all for us is to care for them when they get home. Tell Congress to pass a real solution to Medicare and TRICARE payments.

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I am writing today to urge you to take decisive, permanent action to repeal and reform the sustainable growth rate (SGR) that determines how much doctors are reimbursed for seeing TRICARE and Medicare patients. For too many years, Congress has kicked the can down the road so our veterans -- who risked life and limb to protect our country -- have lived under the cloud of losing their health care providers. Enough is enough.



[Your comments will be added here.]



If Congress does nothing, the cuts to physician payments would be so severe that many doctors could no longer afford to see TRICARE and Medicare patients. That means many vets could lose their providers and it would be harder to find a new doctor able to take TRICARE insurance.



Out veterans have sacrificed so much for us. The least we can do is ensure they have access to the health care they need. Please fix the SGR permanently so veterans no longer must live under the threat of losing their health care. Dear [Decision Maker],I am writing today to urge you to take decisive, permanent action to repeal and reform the sustainable growth rate (SGR) that determines how much doctors are reimbursed for seeing TRICARE and Medicare patients. For too many years, Congress has kicked the can down the road so our veterans -- who risked life and limb to protect our country -- have lived under the cloud of losing their health care providers. Enough is enough.[Your comments will be added here.]If Congress does nothing, the cuts to physician payments would be so severe that many doctors could no longer afford to see TRICARE and Medicare patients. That means many vets could lose their providers and it would be harder to find a new doctor able to take TRICARE insurance.Out veterans have sacrificed so much for us. The least we can do is ensure they have access to the health care they need. Please fix the SGR permanently so veterans no longer must live under the threat of losing their health care.