Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Due to a flight delay on June 24, 2008, I was unable to cast my vote in favor of this important piece of legislation.

The Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act is critical to my district as it stops the scheduled cut in physician payment rates under the Medicare program and provides for a 1.1 percent increase in 2009. If these cuts are not halted by Congressional action, under current law, physicians across the country are to receive a 10.6 percent cut in their Medicare payment rates. This will lead to a loss of health care access for Medicare beneficiaries in every Congressional district. Short of a permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate for doctors, it is imperative that Congress pass short-term extensions, such as this, to ensure that physicians around the country are reimbursed by Medicare for the care they are providing to our Nation's seniors. It is important to recognize that many of these doctors own small businesses and the services they provide to their communities are undeniable and necessary. We must ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to doctors, and passing this legislation will ensure access to care.

While I was disappointed that the bill included cutting Medicare Advantage payments in order to pay for the physician payment increase, I believe that the underlying issue of physician payments must take precedence in order to preserve access for Medicare beneficiaries with their local physicians.

As the President has given Congress until July 15 to act on this issue, I look forward to having an opportunity to pass legislation to fix this issue for our physicians and Medicare beneficiaries.

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