Federal Advocacy
Contact Your Legislator - AAFP's Speak Out Service can help contact your state and federal legislators. Click here to find out topics of concern and how to contact your legislators.
Senate abandons effort to block Medicare physician fee cut – CME encourages Physicians to hold Medicare claims
The U.S. Senate has failed to avert a 21.2-percent reduction in physician payments in the Medicare program, meaning the cut will go into effect today - Monday, March 1. In December, Congress passed a measure delaying the cut for two months, and since then, attempts to either permanently fix the payment formula or freeze payments at current levels past the March 1 deadline have faltered.
On Thursday, Feb. 25, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to provide a one-month extension of the current Medicare physician payment rate. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) attempted several times to pass the legislation by unanimous consent, but Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY), and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) objected, arguing that the expenditure was not offset by commensurate reductions in spending elsewhere.
Senators could not overturn the objection on Friday, February 26th, so they adjourned and went home early. They are not scheduled to return for a vote in the chamber until Tuesday, March 2, after the deadline will have passed.
You should know that AAFP leaders including AAFP Board member, George Shannon, MD, of Columbus, have worked tirelessly on Capitol Hill fighting against this devastating cut. Your Academy will continue to work on your behalf to make sure Congress understands the harm their inaction causes to Medicare beneficiaries and those who care for them.
In the meantime you need to be prepared to withstand a possible disruption in your cash flow. The deadline to tell CMS whether you will or will not participate in Medicare in the coming year is March 17.
CMS has announced it will ask physicians to hold all Medicare claims for 10 business days beginning March 1 in hopes that Congress will act to avert the cuts, and make the payment fix retroactive to March 1. Stay tuned to TAFP.org for up-to-date coverage.
To read a statement by AAFP President Lori Heim, M.D., click here. Let our U.S. legislators know of your concerns, by calling or emailing them (http://capitol.aafp.org/aafp/home/)
Patient Handout Helps Dispel Health Care Reform Myths
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has put together a one-page document to help AAFP members educate their patients about the truth concerning health care reform legislation.
The document, Health Care Reform and You, separates the myths from the facts about health care reform and directs patients to two Web sites to learn which statements about health care reform are true and which are false.
According to the document, the health care reform proposals being reviewed by Congress are important for patients because they will:
- Help guarantee patients can get health insurance
- Help families pay for the coverage they need
- Increase the number of primary care physicians for patients
To access the one-pager for distribution to your patients who ask about health care reform visit www.aafp.org.
The Patient's Voice in Washington
Patients want a better understanding of how health care issues and legislation affect them. Our Academy believes patients should also have a voice in the formation of the policies that determine how their health care is paid for and delivered. To help our patients better understand complicated health care issues and speak up for better health care, we have updated our “Patient’s Voice in Washington” resource.
Track Health Policy as it Happens. The free service features web casts, daily news summaries, a national health policy calendar, searchable archives and more. Sign up to receive e-mail delivery of the services at www.kaisernetwork.org/email
For policy studies on primary care and family medicine, plus fascinating one-pagers to share with decisionmakers and colleagues, the AAFP’s Robert Graham Policy Center is one stop shopping. Go to http://www.graham-center.org/
Link to www.aafp.org/policy to read about AAFP policy on a variety of issues important to our patients.