The House of Representatives did not address the flawed sustainable growth rate formula in its health care bill last week. However, they are scheduled to vote on a separate bill, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009 (HR 3961), next week.

 

This legislation would stop the 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut scheduled to go into effect at the end of this year. It also provides a permanent solution to the problem, so that Congress will no longer need to apply annual Band-Aid fixes to stop impending cuts that get worse year after year.

 

According to H.R. 3961, the SGR would be replaced with a new formula that is designed to favor primary care by allowing the volume of primary and preventive care services to grow at GDP plus two percent per year.
 
E-mail your Representative, ask him or her to support HR 3961. It's time to repeal the SGR once and for all and eliminate the accumulated Medicare physician payment cuts caused by the formula.
 
Thanks,

 

Kevin

 

Kevin Burke
Director, Government Relations
American Academy of Family Physicians