E-newsletter: Forging Compromise, Strengthening Medicare
Statement
On Thursday, President Obama signed landmark legislation which will strengthen Medicare and improve the quality of care for Central Coast seniors.
The Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act is a bipartisan bill that fixes the flawed "sustainable growth rate" (SGR) reimbursement system that has created instability for Medicare providers and beneficiaries for years.
As a senior member of the Health Subcommittee on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have worked with my colleagues to address this complicated issue for many years, and I am proud that we were able to achieve this significant step forward in strengthening Medicare and improving the quality of care for Central Coast seniors in the years to come.
The new law replaces the broken SGR formula and transitions Medicare away from a volume-based system toward one that rewards value, ensures the accuracy of payments, and improves the quality of care. It's not perfect, but it is a true compromise, and I am happy that Congress came together to move past this flawed policy and better position Medicare for the future.
In addition to fixing the broken reimbursement system, the bipartisan agreement will also maintain critical funding for health care for low-income children, families, and seniors. It includes a funding extension for the Children's Health Insurance Program, our community health centers which serve more than 7 million low-income patients, as well as an extension for the critical Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
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