Statement on Medicare Reimbursement Cuts
U.S. Senator Barack Obama
September 20, 2006
I share your concern over Medicare physician payments, and I appreciate the opportunity to address this important issue in the Express. So many of my constituents are rightfully concerned with the effect of these potential cuts. Indeed, just this past week, over 750 Illinoisans wrote to me, calling on Congress to take action and protect access to care for Medicare beneficiaries. While using the Sustainable Growth Rate to calculate physician payments was encouraged by many medical professionals at the time of implementation, it no longer accurately and fairly pays physicians. It is truly alarming that physicians will face an estimated 31% reduction in Medicare reimbursement by 2013 if no change is implemented.
I have joined several of my colleagues in sending a letter to Majority Leader Bill Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid, urging them to prevent threatened cuts in physician reimbursement before Congress adjourns in October. And while the one-year "bandaids" we have seen in the past are certainly better than no action, we will be doing a tremendous disservice to those who rely on Medicare if we fail to enact a long-term solution. Having said that, I do not have great faith that the Republican-controlled Congress is willing to meaningfully address this issue.
The bottom line is that we must not force doctors to turn away Medicare patients because of the increasing gap between costs and reimbursements. It is imperative that the Congress establish a stable and accurate physician payment formula that reflects the costs of providing care, and I look forward to working with my colleagues, as well as the medical community and other expert groups, to do just that.
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