For more information, contact Beth Irish, OMA Legislative Committee member and AMAA Legislation Committee member, at irish.b@comcast.net or (503) 720-4532.
Resources
AMAA Legislative Advocacy Guide
Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee)
AMAA Legislative Roundtable Summary: Legislative News and What it Means for Physician Families
Updates
Congress Reaches Short-Term Agreement to Postpone Medicare Payment Cuts
(December 23, 2011) To close out 2011, Congress reached a short-term compromise preventing a 27.4 percent Medicare payment cut for physicians. Current Medicare payment rates remain in effect through Feb. 29. A House-Senate conference committee has been appointed to work out a longer-term agreement on the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.
While this short-term agreement prevents immediate Medicare payment cuts, physicians once again face uncertainty with yet another deadline looming a mere 8 weeks away for Congress to act and avert cuts that will threaten physicians' practices and the patients they care for.
Leaders in Congress on both sides of the aisle have recognized for years that the SGR is hopelessly flawed and needs to be repealed. Yet they continue to kick the can down the road with temporary patches that have ballooned the cost more than 500 percent since 2005.
The cost of a one-year patch in 2007 was $3.1 billion. Today it is over $20 billion, and the longer Congress waits to permanently address the situation, the more costs will continue to escalate and add billions to America 's debt woes.
It is time for Congress to take the fiscally responsible approach to this problem that eliminates uncertainty for physicians and patients alike. The SGR must be permanently repealed. No more short-term fixes.
Call Congress today at 1-800-833-6354 and stress this important message now.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Physicians' Grassroots Network. We have a limited window over the next several weeks to break the log-jam in Congress over the flawed SGR and fix it once and for all through full repeal. Thank you for your continued participation and support.
Supercommittee Deadline Nears amid Looming Medicare Cut
(November 16, 2011) Wednesday, Nov. 23 is the deadline for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or supercommittee, to reach a compromise on deficit reduction and finally repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
Today is when physicians need to call their senators and representative to urge a permanent repeal of the SGR in the supercommittee. Call the Physicians' Grassroots Network toll-free hotline at (800) 833-6354 to be connected with the offices of your senators and representative.
Congress must take swift action and fix the broken Medicare physician payment formula before it's too late. Tell your lawmakers that eliminating the SGR is an essential element of any effort to reform Medicare and must be a top priority for the supercommittee. One more week. 7 days. Now is the time to make your phone call to Congress. SGR repeal requires action today.
Learn more about the AMA's SGR advocacy efforts through the AMA's Medicare Physician Payment Action Kit -- a Web page with data and resources related to the SGR issue.
AMA Launches Ad Campaign to Emphasize Importance of Patient-Physician Relationship
(October 24, 2011) The American Medical Association has launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign highlighting the importance of the patient-physician relationship.
“For 160 years, the AMA has been the guardian of the patient-physician relationship; the preservation of this partnership drives everything we do as an organization,” said AMA President Peter W. Carmel, M.D. “At the end of the day, it is important to have a physician there for you when you need them because when it comes to your health, you need someone you trust.”
The ad shows the legs of patients of all ages dangling over physicians’ exam tables, and reminds patients that “when you see your doctor, you don’t face any medical issue alone. You do it together.”
As Medicare payment cuts threaten access to care and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act expands access to health care for millions of Americans, the AMA will continue to protect the essential partnership between patients and their physicians.
The ad will be running on cable and broadcast television across the country through Nov. 20. To view the ad, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrtBa3tNz5g.
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or "Supercommittee," concluded another week of formal meetings - this time behind closed doors.
(October 12, 2011) Congress was in recess and news reports offered little to no specific details on deliberations by supercommittee members. This would leave many to believe that nothing is happening on Capitol Hill as time runs out to find real solutions to deficit reduction and repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR). But, not so fast!
The reality is members of Congress continue to put pressure on the supercommittee to repeal the SGR. The latest example comes from Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), who introduced a letter to members on the supercommittee urging full repeal of the SGR.
This letter is now circulating in the House of Representatives and asks all members to "sign-on" in support of SGR repeal as part of the supercommittee process. What better time than now for members of Congress outside of the supercommittee to show their support for SGR repeal?
Tell Congress to "sign on" to SGR repeal!
CLICK HERE to email your legislators today and tell them to "sign on" to Rep. Schwartz's letter for SGR repeal. The urgent message that eliminating the SGR is an essential element of any effort to reform Medicare must be delivered today. Urge them to promote the message that a permanent fix to the physician payment system should be part of any solution to address the budget deficit -- failure to act only leads to increased costs in the future.
Congress must make SGR repeal a priority for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
The AMA continues to work with your state medical societies and national specialty associations to repeal the SGR. A successful outcome depends on Congress receiving every email, every letter and every phone call from physicians and patients.
WHAT'S NEW?
Learn about the AMA's SGR advocacy efforts through the AMA's Medicare Physician Payment Action Kit - a Web page with data and resources related to the SGR issue.
Be a Very Influential Physician (VIP)
Physicians with an existing relationship with a member of Congress can join the AMA's VIP program. In a crowded advocacy environment, VIPs serve as a trusted source to members of Congress on important issues, such as SGR repeal.
Click here to become a VIP today!
Super Committee Must Present Deficit Reduction Plan by Nov. 23
(October 6, 2011) The “Super Committee of 12” has been given the task of finding $1.2 Trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. The deadline is Nov. 23. Congress then has until Dec. 23 to pass the recommended cuts. Included in the recommendation NEEDS to be an ELIMINATION of the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate). The SGR is the flawed formula that is used to determine provider reimbursement for Medicare. If the SGR is not eliminated, a scheduled 29.5% cut to providers will occur on Jan. 1, 2012. If the cut in January occurs, many physicians will not be able to remain as Medicare providers. Patient access to care WILL be affected. Congress must repeal the SGR.
Contact Congress now through the Patient's Action Network (www.patientsactionnetwork.org) at (888) 434-6200 or the AMA Physician’s Grassroots Network (www.ama-assn.org/grassroots) at (800) 833-6354.
Get the word out to family, spouses, neighbors, have them contact their legislators also using the above contact information.