Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) voted to preserve seniors’ access to their doctors by temporarily fixing the way Medicare reimburses physicians.  The House overwhelmingly passed the Senate Amendments to H.R. 4994, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act, which blocks the 25 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors, scheduled to start January 1.  The bill will go to President Obama for his signature, and if signed as expected, will protect seniors and military families’ access to doctors throughout 2011.

“We must fix the Sustainable Growth Rate, (the way we determine the annual updates to the Medicare physician fee schedule) to ensure that our seniors, disabled citizens and military families have reliable access to their doctors and the primary care they need,” said Rep. Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. “Medicare is a lifeline for America’s seniors and this bill, though a temporary fix, takes crucial steps toward strengthening it and providing the highest quality of care and benefits for our seniors. This full year fix gives seniors some peace of mind, but we must eventually find a permanent solution to this annual problem.”

The bill protects the access to doctors for both seniors and military families – as it both halts Medicare cuts and payment rates for doctors in TRICARE, the health program for active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, military retirees and their families.  TRICARE rates are tied to Medicare rates.  The legislation costs are fully paid for by using Medicare savings from a new policy reducing payments for multiple physical therapy sessions. 

Fixing the Medicare payments to doctors would build on the historic health insurance reform bill passed earlier this year.  The Affordable Care Act is already having a positive effect on families as young adults are able to remain longer on their parents’ plan, coverage is now available to millions more Americans, preexisting condition denials and coverage caps are becoming a thing of the past, and the Medicare Part D prescription drug “donut hole” is closing. 

The legislation also includes extension of other expiring health care provisions, such as Transitional Medical Assistance and the Qualifying Individual program (which allows Medicaid to pay the Medicare Part B premiums for low-income Medicare beneficiaries).  It is also supported be several organizations, including AARP and the American Medical Association.

“I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in both the House and Senate, to find a permanent bipartisan solution to the problem so we can avoid these short-term patches and have the system work better for doctors, seniors, military families and everyone else affected,” said Rep. Engel.

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