Rep. Loretta Sanchez Votes To Protect Seniors' Access To Doctors
Press Release
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) today voted to preserve seniors' access to their doctors by fixing the way Medicare pays physicians. The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act will permanently reform the Medicare payment system, repealing a 21% cut in payments to doctors scheduled to take place in January 2010 and replacing it with a stable system that protects seniors and promotes primary care.
"Medicare is a lifeline for many Orange County seniors, but flaws in our reimbursement system have caused concern for doctors who care for Medicare beneficiaries," said Rep. Sanchez. "This bill will permanently improve the way physicians are paid and, in the process, ensure that our seniors have reliable access to their doctors."
This bill tackles seniors' main concern - preventing pay cuts that could encourage doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients. It builds on the historic health insurance reform bill the House passed earlier this month, which will lower premiums, extend the solvency of Medicare by five years, improve preventive and primary care for seniors, and close the "donut hole" drug coverage gap.
To underscore Congress' commitment to reduce the deficit, the House attached statutory "pay-as-you-go" legislation to the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act before sending it to the Senate. By adding statutory PAYGO to legislation fixing Medicare physician payments, Congress is making PAYGO more credible and effective while clearly communicating that fiscal responsibility is a priority.
With statutory PAYGO in place, all new tax and entitlement policies must be offset, restoring fiscal discipline and bringing down the deep deficits that face our nation. By enacting statutory PAYGO, Democrats are putting an end to the reckless "borrow-and-spend" policies of the Bush Administration and the Republican Congresses by reinstating the principle that led us from record deficits to record surpluses during the Clinton Administration.
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