Stop the Budget Games and Fix Medicare

by: AMA Patients Action Network

recipient: U.S. Congress

It's time for Congress to stop the budget games and fix Medicare's flawed payment formula for America's seniors.



Due to the existing Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, significant cuts of 30 percent for physician services are scheduled on January 1, 2012. Cuts of this magnitude will result in massive disruptions for patients needing access to care as physicians are forced to consider reductions in the number of Medicare patients they are able to treat.



Each time Congress postpones action that would fix this problem once and for all, the cost of permanently replacing this fatally flawed formula grows.



Now is the time for Congress and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and repeal the flawed SGR formula and replace it with a responsible, permanent solution that preserves Medicare payments for physician services and patients' access to care. America's seniors deserve nothing less.

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Any serious proposal to confront the fiscal challenges facing out nation -- and the Medicare program in particular -- must address the massive shortfall for Medicare payments for physician services.



It is long past time for Congress to address the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Passing temporary patches that make future cuts steeper and escalate the costs of permanent payment reform is not the fiscally responsible course to take, nor does it support the long-term viability of important health care programs.



I urge you to support SGR repeal as a critical part of the legislative package the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will ultimately develop before the end of the year. It is time for Congress to pass a long-term solution to the SGR formula and move to a more stable Medicare physician payment system that provides security for patients seeking access to care and the physicians who care for them.



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Sincerely,

[Your name here]

Dear [Decision Maker],Any serious proposal to confront the fiscal challenges facing out nation -- and the Medicare program in particular -- must address the massive shortfall for Medicare payments for physician services.It is long past time for Congress to address the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Passing temporary patches that make future cuts steeper and escalate the costs of permanent payment reform is not the fiscally responsible course to take, nor does it support the long-term viability of important health care programs.I urge you to support SGR repeal as a critical part of the legislative package the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will ultimately develop before the end of the year. It is time for Congress to pass a long-term solution to the SGR formula and move to a more stable Medicare physician payment system that provides security for patients seeking access to care and the physicians who care for them.[Your comments will be added here]Sincerely,[Your name here]