State Society, AMA Continue Drive Toward Permanent Medicare Payment Fix
With the possibility of a 21.2 percent decrease in Medicare physician payments once again looming on the near horizon, the Pennsylvania Medical Society is working with the American Medical Association to permanently repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) Medicare payment formula.
The campaign is focused on the US Senate, which has failed to pass a bill to put an end to the SGR formula. Please contact Sen. Arlen Specter and Sen. Bob Casey and urge them to continue their support of permanent SGR repeal.
The Medicare physician payment cut was delayed from Jan. 1 to March 1, 2010 when it was included in HR 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill.
The AMA is working with state societies to contact key US senators who are pivotal in passing a permanent repeal. The US House of Representatives passed a repeal measure—HR 3961—late last year, but the Senate had failed to consider a similar measure (S. 1776).
The State Society has signed onto a letter—along with the American Medical Association, 50 state medical societies, and 68 national physician organizations—urging Congress to permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula that determines Medicare physician payments.
Pennsylvania’s senators—Sen. Arlen Specter and Sen. Bob Casey—both voted in favor of considering S 1776 and are considered likely votes for repeal of SGR. However, physicians are urged to stay in contact with the senator’s offices and remind them of their support for repeal.
Contact information for Sen. Specter and Sen. Casey can be found on the State Society website.
Last Updated: 1/22/2010