Udall Votes to Protect Medicare and Tricare
Press Release
UDALL VOTES TO PROTECT MEDICARE AND TRICARE
Congressman Supports Bill to Stop Physician Pay Cut, Boost Funds for Rural Medicine
U.S. Representative Tom Udall, D-N.M., today voted for legislation, H.R. 6331, to prevent a scheduled 10.6 percent cut in physician reimbursement rates for Medicare and TRICARE doctors. TRICARE is the healthcare system for America's armed forces. The legislation would replace the 10.6 percent cut with a 1.1 percent increase. It also boosts resources for rural healthcare, preventive medicine and low-income seniors.
"The scheduled payment cuts would have threatened the access of New Mexico seniors to the doctors they know and trust," said Udall. "The legislation we passed today will ensure that seniors get the healthcare they need and that our servicemembers get the healthcare they have earned."
H.R. 6331 would also:
* Provide a 2 percent quality reporting bonus for doctors who report on quality measures and provide financial incentives to providers to encourage the use of electronic prescribing technology;
* Extend and improve low-income assistance programs for Medicare beneficiaries whose income is below $14,040;
* Add new preventive benefits to the Medicare program and reduce beneficiary out of pocket costs for mental health care; and,
* Protect resources for rural doctors, hospitals and health plans so that rural Americans receive the same quality healthcare as other Americans.
Said Udall, "Rural communities deserve access to high quality healthcare. This legislation will protect programs that help close the gap between rural and nonrural healthcare."
"I am pleased this legislation also focuses on prevention because that will save lives and taxpayers' money," said Udall. "Treatment of preventable diseases accounts for roughly 70 percent of American healthcare spending. But we spend only 5 percent of our healthcare budget on preventing these diseases before they become deadly or reach a stage when they are far more expensive to treat and cure. Today's bill is a step toward correcting this imbalance."
Source