Here is an important message from our organizations' attempts to rectify Medicare issues (This is an exceedingly important legislative effort and it only takes 5-10 minutes to create a letter with the ASA's resources. Please add some type of personal touch to make it a bit more individual, but this is very important for our future):
Per a request from both the ASA and AMA leadership, I'm asking you to contact your senators and representatives about House Resolution 2356 and Senate Bill1081. They both concern medicare payment reform (SGR fix) and the AMA has their website set up such that you can cut and paste a letter together in about 30 seconds from material they have on their website.
Based on your zipcode, they will email the message to your senators and representative.
Our lobbyists for the AMA and ASA tell us that the the leaders in congress continually say that they are not hearing from the physicians. We need to let
our leaders know this is a pending crisis and we the physicians want them to help prevent it from happening.
I have attached copies of the letters I sent below. To send your own letter
and to find out more information about the problem, go to the AMA website
(http://www.ama-assn.org) click AMA agenda and then advocacy efforts. From there click on medicare physician payment reform, and then the action alerts.
Sample letters (customize as you see fit)...
Dear Representative *****,
My name is ***** and I am a resident physician in ****. I stopped by your office and spoke with Sara Williams in May concerning Medicare payment reform. I now request that you support HR 2356.
Critical legislation that would protect patients access to care by stopping impending Medicare physician payment cuts has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. HR 2356 seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare physician payment update system through repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment update system.
If Congress doesnt act soon, Medicare will cut reimbursement payments to
physicians by 26% over the next six yearsincluding a 4.3% cut on January
1, 2006.
These Medicare cuts will hurt Americas patients. A recent AMA Member
Connect survey found that 38% of physicians will decrease the number of
new Medicare patients they accept as a result of the first round of cuts in 2006.
For the sake of my patients and profession, these cuts must be stopped.
If not, Medicare payment rates in 2014 will be little more than half what
they were in 1991, after adjusting for practice cost inflation. As it is,
Medicare payments already lag behind increases in practice costs.
Physician payment updates are driven by a flawed formula called the
Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. Instead of the SGR, payment updates
should be based on increases in practice costs.
Other Medicare providers are not subject to the SGR. In fact, hospital
payments are slated to rise by more than 3% a year.
Please protect Americas patients and physicians by
cosponsoring HR 2356.
Sample for senate bill...
Dear Senator ****,
My name is ****** and I am a resident physician in Indiana. I
stopped by your office and spoke with your health aide in May concerning
Medicare payment reform. I now request that you support S. 1081.
Critical legislation that would protect patients access to care by stopping impending Medicare physician payment cuts has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 (S. 1081) calls for increasing the amount Medicare reimburses physicians by at least 2.7% in 2006 and 2.6% (est.) in 2007.
Both of the provisions in S. 1081 are based on recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the commission that advises Congress on Medicare policy.
If Congress doesnt act soon, Medicare will cut reimbursement payments to
physicians by 26% over the next six yearsincluding a 4.3% cut on January
1, 2006.
These Medicare cuts will hurt Americas patients. A recent AMA Member
Connect survey found that 38% of physicians will decrease the number of
new Medicare patients they accept as a result of the first round of cuts
in 2006.
For the sake of my patients and profession, these cuts must be stopped.
If not, Medicare payment rates in 2014 will be little more than half what
they were in 1991, after adjusting for practice cost inflation. As it is,
Medicare payments already lag behind increases in practice costs.
Physician payment updates are driven by a flawed formula called the
Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. Instead of the SGR, payment updates
should be based on increases in practice costs.
Other Medicare providers are not subject to the SGR. In fact, hospital
payments are slated to rise by more than 3% a year ((((This may not be something I would put in your letter as we don't need to court opposition from the Hospital Association which may be receiving positive feedback from Medicare)))).
Please protect Americas patients and physicians by
cosponsoring S. 1081.
Per a request from both the ASA and AMA leadership, I'm asking you to contact your senators and representatives about House Resolution 2356 and Senate Bill1081. They both concern medicare payment reform (SGR fix) and the AMA has their website set up such that you can cut and paste a letter together in about 30 seconds from material they have on their website.
Based on your zipcode, they will email the message to your senators and representative.
Our lobbyists for the AMA and ASA tell us that the the leaders in congress continually say that they are not hearing from the physicians. We need to let
our leaders know this is a pending crisis and we the physicians want them to help prevent it from happening.
I have attached copies of the letters I sent below. To send your own letter
and to find out more information about the problem, go to the AMA website
(http://www.ama-assn.org) click AMA agenda and then advocacy efforts. From there click on medicare physician payment reform, and then the action alerts.
Sample letters (customize as you see fit)...
Dear Representative *****,
My name is ***** and I am a resident physician in ****. I stopped by your office and spoke with Sara Williams in May concerning Medicare payment reform. I now request that you support HR 2356.
Critical legislation that would protect patients access to care by stopping impending Medicare physician payment cuts has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. HR 2356 seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare physician payment update system through repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment update system.
If Congress doesnt act soon, Medicare will cut reimbursement payments to
physicians by 26% over the next six yearsincluding a 4.3% cut on January
1, 2006.
These Medicare cuts will hurt Americas patients. A recent AMA Member
Connect survey found that 38% of physicians will decrease the number of
new Medicare patients they accept as a result of the first round of cuts in 2006.
For the sake of my patients and profession, these cuts must be stopped.
If not, Medicare payment rates in 2014 will be little more than half what
they were in 1991, after adjusting for practice cost inflation. As it is,
Medicare payments already lag behind increases in practice costs.
Physician payment updates are driven by a flawed formula called the
Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. Instead of the SGR, payment updates
should be based on increases in practice costs.
Other Medicare providers are not subject to the SGR. In fact, hospital
payments are slated to rise by more than 3% a year.
Please protect Americas patients and physicians by
cosponsoring HR 2356.
Sample for senate bill...
Dear Senator ****,
My name is ****** and I am a resident physician in Indiana. I
stopped by your office and spoke with your health aide in May concerning
Medicare payment reform. I now request that you support S. 1081.
Critical legislation that would protect patients access to care by stopping impending Medicare physician payment cuts has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2005 (S. 1081) calls for increasing the amount Medicare reimburses physicians by at least 2.7% in 2006 and 2.6% (est.) in 2007.
Both of the provisions in S. 1081 are based on recommendations of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the commission that advises Congress on Medicare policy.
If Congress doesnt act soon, Medicare will cut reimbursement payments to
physicians by 26% over the next six yearsincluding a 4.3% cut on January
1, 2006.
These Medicare cuts will hurt Americas patients. A recent AMA Member
Connect survey found that 38% of physicians will decrease the number of
new Medicare patients they accept as a result of the first round of cuts
in 2006.
For the sake of my patients and profession, these cuts must be stopped.
If not, Medicare payment rates in 2014 will be little more than half what
they were in 1991, after adjusting for practice cost inflation. As it is,
Medicare payments already lag behind increases in practice costs.
Physician payment updates are driven by a flawed formula called the
Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR. Instead of the SGR, payment updates
should be based on increases in practice costs.
Other Medicare providers are not subject to the SGR. In fact, hospital
payments are slated to rise by more than 3% a year ((((This may not be something I would put in your letter as we don't need to court opposition from the Hospital Association which may be receiving positive feedback from Medicare)))).
Please protect Americas patients and physicians by
cosponsoring S. 1081.
