Burgess bill important step toward ensuring seniors get needed health care

Rep. Michael C. Burgess, MD. (R-TX) took an important step toward replacing the flawed Medicare physician payment formula with the introduction of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Bill and Quality Improvement Act of 2006.

"This bill is a major step toward ensuring health care access for seniors," said Cecil B. Wilson, MD, American Medical Association (AMA) Board Chair. "The government plans to cut Medicare reimbursements to physicians by 37 percent over the next nine years, forcing physicians to make tough choices about the way they practice medicine."

"Physicians want to treat seniors, but the flawed Medicare formula that dictates payments that do not keep pace with the rising costs of providing care is making it increasingly difficult to do so," said Dr. Wilson. "A recent AMA survey found that nearly half, 45 percent, of physicians will decrease or stop taking new Medicare patients if the first projected cut of five percent goes into effect on January 1."

"Medicare cannot continue to provide seniors' with high quality health care while slashing reimbursements to the physicians who care for them," said Dr. Wilson. "Cracks are already showing in the system: A report by the commission that advises Congress on Medicare (MedPAC) shows that 25 percent of Medicare patients seeking a new primary care physician are already having trouble getting an appointment."

"The increasing costs of providing care coupled with a decline in reimbursement rates also make it difficult for physicians to invest in new health care technologies that can be used to improve quality," said Dr. Wilson.

"At the heart of the problem is the government's severely flawed Medicare physician payment formula that defies logic and ignores economic reality," said Dr. Wilson. "Medicare payments for physicians and other health professionals are tied to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). But the state of our economy - boom or bust - doesn't change our seniors' need for health care."

"We are encouraged by the introduction of this legislation that would replace the current flawed Medicare formula with one that better ensures that payment rates keep up with the increasing costs of practicing medicine," said Dr. Wilson. "We look forward to working with Rep. Burgess, and other members of Congress, to help this generation of seniors, and generations to come, get the health care they need. Congress must act now to stop Medicare payment cuts so seniors' access to care is no longer in jeopardy."