Titus Protects Seniors' And Military Families' Access To Doctors

Press Release

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada's Third District voted today to protect seniors' and military families' access to their doctors by fixing the way Medicare pays physicians. The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, which passed by a vote of 243 to 183, repeals a 21 percent cut in doctors' payments that is scheduled to take place in January 2010.

"With this critical fix to the Medicare payment system, we will ensure that seniors and veterans will be able to continue to see the doctor whom they trust," Congresswoman Titus said. "This legislation in conjunction with the health care reform bill that passed the House will strengthen Medicare and protect benefits for our seniors."

The Medicare Physician Payment Reform prevents pay cuts that could encourage doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients. It builds on the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which protects seniors from rising health care costs by beginning to close the Medicare donut hole for prescription drugs and allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower drug prices.

Military members and their families who are covered by TRICARE, the military's health care system, will be protected as well. Due to the link between Medicare and TRICARE physician payment rates, physicians who participate in TRICARE would face the same 21 percent cut in payments as the doctors of Medicare patients. So without the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, military members and their families face the same problems with access to physicians that Medicare beneficiaries do.

The House-passed bill also includes statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) legislation that requires Congress to offset new spending. PAYGO rules, which were instituted during the 1990s and helped bring down the deficit and create a $5.6 trillion surplus, lapsed during the Republican administration.

"Under PAYGO, the government can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere. By reinstating this important provision, Congress will recommit to fiscal responsibility as we work to reduce our deficit and turn our economy around," Titus added.

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