Congress’ override of President Bush’s veto is a victory for America’s seniors, disabled patients, military families and the physicians who care for them. The AMA thanks the bipartisan majority in Congress who voted to put patients first, especially those whose commitment to an 18 month fix to the problem never wavered. We also commend those senators who listened to the voices of their constituents and gave the support needed to override the veto.

This year’s 10.6 percent cut in payments to physicians who treat Medicare patients would have been devastating to seniors and the disabled who rely on Medicare for the health care they need, as well as to military families who rely on TRICARE for their health care. A full 60 percent of physicians said this year’s cut would force them to limit the number of new Medicare patients they could treat.
Luckily, Congress heard and heeded the voices of tens of thousands of patients and physicians who contacted their legislators urging action. Along with the AMA, many patient, physician, and military groups called on Congress to pass this bipartisan bill. The only group opposing the bill was the health insurance lobby, which was eager to protect health plan subsidies and profits.
This congressional debate underscores the need for lawmakers to permanently replace the flawed Medicare physician payment formula so physicians can focus on the real work at hand: taking care of patients. Bill passage has given Congress 18 months to enact a long-term solution, and the AMA is committed to working with lawmakers to solve this problem once and for all.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Politics, Healthcare .