Urge Congress to Support SGR Repeal and Payment Reform (HR 4015/ S 2000) March 11, 2014 Advocacy, Medicare, Payment HR 4015, HR 4015/S 2000, SGR repeal, SGR 0 Don't Patch It, Repeal It! San Francisco physicians: Your help is needed to urge Congress to support SGR repeal and Payment Reform (HR 4015/ S 2000). Help avert the impending 24.1% Medicare reimbursement rate cut on April 1 and protect access to care for the senior population. Call Congress Now using the AMA Grassroots Hotline (800) 833-6354 (takes 2 Min)! New Update - March 11, 2014 House Republican leaders have scheduled a vote for this week on HR 4015, with a repeal of the ACA individual mandate as the funding source. If the mandate is repealed, the government will spend less on premium subsidies and thus, a substantial cost savings will occur. This repeal of the ACA is not an acceptable, viable funding option in the Senate. Knowing that the ACA repeal will not be accepted, House leaders have scheduled a second vote at the end of March to adopt another nine month patch. SFMS/CMA is urging Congress to find bipartisan funding sources. We are opposing another 9 month patch. Without congressional action, Medicare physician services face a 24.1% cut on April 1, 2014. Organized medicine is working toward a better health system for patients, physicians, and the nation as a whole. It's time to repeal the SGR formula and transition to a higher performing Medicare program. The SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 (HR 4015/S 2000) offers a fiscally prudent opportunity for lawmakers to repeal the SGR formula and put Medicare on the path toward a stable program that can meet the growing health care needs of Americans. To make SGR repeal a reality, Congress needs to hear from a large volume of physicians. We are asking physicians to call/email the following individuals using the AMA Hotline (800) 833-6354: Your local congressional representative (use your local zip code) California Senator Barbara Boxer California Senator Dianne Feinstein House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (zip code 93309) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (zip code 94103) Key Messages Protect access to care in California and enact Medicare physician payment reform now. The cost to fix the Medicare SGR is at an all-time low and there is bipartisan agreement on the legislation. Use bipartisan funding sources. Oppose another one-year SGR patch. Comments are closed.
