Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act Of 2009

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act.

H.R. 3961 would repeal the current Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate, SGR, formula and save our physicians from a looming 21 percent reimbursement cut. Instead of temporarily overriding the cut as Congress has done before, H.R. 3961 will replace the broken SGR formula with a sustainable solution.

This bill is essential, not only for the doctors who deserve adequate reimbursement for services, but for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries and members of the military and their families, since physician payment rates in TRICARE are tied to those used by Medicare. With comprehensive healthcare reform on the horizon, it's our responsibility to ensure physicians are reimbursed appropriately.

H.R. 3961 is supported by a wide range of organizations representing patients, doctors and other providers, including the American Medical Association, AARP, the Military Officers Association of America, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, the Medicare Rights Center, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

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