MMA Viewpoint
"Save Medicare" Bill is Focus of MMA Trip to Washington
The AMA National Advocacy Conference was held this spring in Washington, D.C., while the cherry blossoms were in bloom. It was a great time to see our government in action. Or is it inaction?
A strong contingent of Minnesota doctors was there to learn more about how government works and to advocate for Medicare change. You should thank your colleagues who took the time to speak on behalf of our MMA members. I enjoyed working with them as we presented our concerns to the Minnesota congressional delegation.
This annual conference is always interesting. The AMA arranges for participants to hear from senators, representatives, and other speakers who look at the issues from many points of view. I am not sure whether this broadens one’s understanding or makes it muddier than the Potomac River. During a two-day period, I heard from 10 different speakers and attended several panel discussions. There may not be gridlock in Washington, but there are at least two sides to every issue.
On April 2, after an AMA white coat rally, we met with several of our state representatives and both senators. They didn’t have to ask why we were there because the topic of the day, unfortunately, was the Medicare non-sustainable growth formula, which has been our main problem at the federal level for several years. It is sad, and we told them so, that we still have to discuss this serious issue. The problem should have been solved by now. Although we were very careful not to cry wolf, we tried to make it absolutely clear that if the patching continues and there is no long-term fix, access to care for Medicare patients will become a problem.
Our state’s legislators did not seem to think that the 10.6 percent cut scheduled for July 1 would be allowed to take effect. They were less clear about what the fix would be and when it would occur. This is a presidential election year, in case any of you hadn’t noticed, so a permanent fix will not likely happen until after November. However, Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow has introduced a bill that would replace 18 months of cuts with payment updates and would allow time for a long-term solution to be developed. The bill would extend the current .5 percent update through December and provide a 1.8 percent update for 2009. We expressed support for S.2785 in our presentations to the senators. The bill was too new for them to commit to supporting it, but they were encouraging and we will keep in contact with them.
When we discussed the Senate bill with our representatives, we encouraged them to introduce a companion House bill to address our Medicare fee schedule concerns. Medicare cuts have kept the 2008 Medicare physician payment rates about the same as they were in 2001 while the cost of providing care continues to go up. I am sure you are aware that even the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) has recommended replacing the flawed formula.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll remind you that it’s important to contact your congressional representatives and ask them to support S.2785. If you need advice about doing this, visit the MMA website at www.mmaonline.net, click on Key Issues, then on Medicare. Or give our legislative team a call at 612/362-3755. No one can speak as effectively as physicians about the impact of Medicare cuts on our practices—and ultimately on access to care for Minnesota seniors.
In addition to Dr. Dehen, President-elect George Schoephoerster, M.D., CEO Robert Meiches, M.D., Peter Wilton, M.D., Charles Terzian, M.D., Stephanie Stanton, M.D., Richard D. Schmidt, M.D., Edward Ehlinger, M.D., and medical students Nick Zane and Andrew Landstrom attended the conference.