Medicare Physician Fairness Act of 2009

On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 12:15 PM, wrote:

Dear Mr. Cohn:

Thank you for contacting me about Medicare physician reimbursement rates. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

I understand the burden that cuts in physician reimbursement rates would have on Vermont practitioners and their patients - particularly at this time when operating costs are continuing to increase. Especially in our rural state, it is essential that doctors continue to be able to treat Medicare beneficiaries and TRICARE recipients to ensure they have access to quality care. An outdated Medicare reimbursement formula has forced Congress to repeatedly take action to ensure that doctors continue to be able to treat Medicare beneficiaries. That is why I have consistently supported updates to the sustainable growth rate and was proud to be a cosponsor of the Medicare Physician Fairness Act of 2009 which would permanently fix the broken payment system so doctors will no longer be plagued by the uncertainty of whether future payments will be reduced.

I believe it is important that Congress act to establish a long-term method of determining reimbursement rates that more adequately addresses the cost of providing quality health care than our current method. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to garner enough votes on the bill to proceed to its full consideration. I am disappointed that a procedural hurdle prevented the Senate from having the opportunity to debate this important legislation. I invite you read my remarks in support of this legislation on my website at http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200910/102109e.html.

Recently, the Senate Finance Committee voted to pass the America's Healthy Futures Act out of committee. The Senate Finance Committee will now begin the process of combining the America's Healthy Futures Act with the Affordable Health Choices Act, reported out by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, to form one bill. Once that process is complete, a single, combined health care reform bill will then be considered by the full Senate.

Throughout this process, my priority will continue to be to ensure that health care reform legislation maintains patient choice, gives all Americans access to quality care, and reduces overall health spending. I believe ensuring that physicians in Vermont, and around the country, are able to continue to serve Medicare patients is an important priority. I can assure you that in the coming weeks and months as the Senate continues to debate comprehensive health care reform, I will do all that I can to make certain that physicians are able to continue to provide the quality care that their patients need and deserve.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please keep in touch.

PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator

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