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| Wilson Supports Access to Doctors for Seniors |
August 04, 2006 |
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| Signs Letter to Encourage Medicare Physician Payment Fix
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today announced she has joined 111 Members of Congress in asking House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert to prevent the Medicare physician payment reduction scheduled for 2007. Wilson joined Members in sending a letter to the Speaker urging action before Congress adjourns in October.
"Seniors depend on doctors for access to health care, and Medicare payment policies directly affect the ability of doctors to provide Medicare services," said Wilson. "While I support a permanent change to the flawed formula that threatens doctors with payment reductions each year, I would support another temporary increase for 2007 to maintain access for seniors in New Mexico. This will be expensive, and I don`t believe the cost should be offset by reductions to other providers seniors depend on, like hospitals, home health agencies, and nursing homes."
Because an outdated formula used to update Medicare physician payment annually is based more on general inflation than medical inflation, physicians face a 4.6 percent negative update in 2007. Physicians can choose to opt-out of Medicare, and at least 13 have in New Mexico. Physicians often cite uncertain payment rates and Medicare`s onerous and burdensome regulations for no longer accepting Medicare patients. Doctors can also stop seeing new Medicare patients. Absent Congressional action, more doctors will leave the program or reduce access.
"On behalf of doctors across New Mexico, we appreciate what Congresswoman Wilson is doing to encourage the Speaker to prevent a payment reduction in 2007 and to permanently fix the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate formula," said Dr. James Tryon, M.D., President of the New Mexico Medical Society. "This directly affects the ability of our profession to provide care to seniors, and we thank her for what she does on behalf of seniors in New Mexico and the doctors that provide care for them."
Wilson is a cosponsor of the Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act, H.R. 2356, legislation to permanently fix the physician payment problem by eliminating the Sustainable Growth Rate formula and replacing it with a new update factor. If Congress does not act, the American Medical Association predicts physician payments will be reduced by 37% between now and 2015. Congress has stepped in to prevent a reduction each year except 2002.
"In some parts of the country it`s hard for seniors to find a doctor who will take Medicare," said Wilson. "We don`t want that in New Mexico. We must have more stability in this system."
The Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Wilson is a Member, held two days of hearings highlighting the issue in July.
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