AAPS has joined with 18 other groups representing millions of members to oppose Senate Bill 1776, the “Medicare Physician Fairness Act,” also known up on the Hill as the “Doc Fix.”
This bill is just a blatant effort by Senate Democrats to shuffle money around so that they can say the main health care reform bills do not increase the deficit.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE JOINT LETTER TO THE SENATE
AAPS Executive Director, Jane Orient, MD writes:
“Now we have the Stabenow bill, S. 1776, a supposed stand-alone ‘fix’ for doctors’ pay. Remember that the word ‘fix’ can be used in several ways—such as ‘I’m going to fix you but good.’
“For once, a short, simple bill. It sunsets the ‘sustained growth rate,’ which requires Medicare to cut physicians’ pay if total expenditures go up too much. This is supposed to ‘protect seniors’ and military families’ access to care.’
“Apparently, the Senate will first freeze the fees, which were supposed to be cut by more than 20%—in D.C., that’s called a ‘raise’—and then will fix everything later in a new payment system in a broader bill. Just trust them.
“One suspects the way will now be clear for the AMA to support ‘reform’ wholeheartedly, now that the sticky matter of their members’ fees has been fixed.”
We keep saying, it’s not about the money anyway. If they really want to give patients freedom, allow unrestriced private contracting for Medicare patients and everyone else.
Watch for news later this week about the AAPS survey on Physician Attitudes on Medicare.
While I agree with just about everything AAPS does, I have to strongly disagree on this one. SGR lobbying takes up an enormous amount of time and political funds every year…if we can simply get rid of it once and for all, that would serve your members as well as all of us that take Medicare patients. I’m all for private contracting, particularly with Medicare patients…but the current reality is that the SGR is a hammer that looms over our heads every year…totally agree with getting rid of it…I think that if AAPS is not going to support this, then they should take a “watch” position on the legislation at the very least!
The government should get out of the way and allow free men and women to make their own arrangements of trade in all matters including health care. The government’s only prooper role is the protection of the individual’s rights to his own life, his own freedom of action, the absolute right of ownership of the values he creates (property) and the pursuit of his own individual happiness. Those functions are performed by the police, the military and the courts.
This country is drowning in governments violations of individual rights. The current bills in congress are just the latest horror in this nightmare. Leave us alone and we can care for ourselves.. We do not need your help! You are killing us. Stop!
The government will take over both third party payers and ultimately our enemies become our foes. End result we both lose. The public expects no or low pay health care and they will get what they deserve.
We can slow up the process this way using the legal beaurucratic system but we are doomed in the traditional sense.Outside of The AAPS NO ONE GIVES A RATS A About Physician compensation!!!
G Hines MD
So Medicare fees won’t go down by 21.5% in January. Wow. How about the 10-20% we are behind from the lack of indexing for inflation over the last 10 years? And the unknown amount by which we will fall behind over the next few years? Flat fees equal declining income (in spending power). Thank you Congress for slowing the decline of our profession.
I’d rather they not fix the SGF so that the demise of Medicare will be hastened.
I’m a Medicare patient with Tricare as secondary. I believe in free markets. However, you plan the hand that you need to use. I would never be able to pay the cost of health care on my own. I believe that until we can get the Federal Reserve out of lives we can never have free market. Doctors do the same. We should charge ever one in D.C. that votes for this bill with treason. I regret that after they are found guilty that I probably would administer the tar and feathers but I sure would be proud to light the match!
The public began demanding cheap medical care years ago. I warned my patients to “be careful or you will get what you are asking for.” When my colleagues were afraid to say no to PPOs and HMOs I said all we need to do is ALL say no. There were not enough of us who didn’t drink AMA Kool Aid, who didn’t become sheep herded off a cliff, to stem the tide so here we are today in a society of people half of whom take and the other half give—and give— and give. We have a Marxist for President and a congress full of self serving ignorant buffoons. We are witnessing the end of our American way of life and certainly the end of the medical profession as many of us have known it. What happened to the “best and brightest” who became physicians? Why are we not taking stronger action not only against the health care bills but against every other socialist action being rammed down our throats? I have contacted my Senators and Reps but it is obvious that they are controlled by big insurance and big pharma. In the scheme of things, it does appear that physician fees are very low on the list of things cared about by the public.
Just wait until they foist a 20% VAT on the people……….it will come out of your income with NO recourse to bill the patient.
I am in COMPLETE agreement with Dr. Mallette. In reviewing Medicare EOMS’s from 1984, and considering lower reimbursements, COLA increases, and the declining value of the dollar, most of our surgical reimbursements (ophthalmology) have decreased apporoximately 80%!
This doesn!t even take into account increased costs of salaries, rent, supplies, utilities, etc
We need to get reid of SGR permanently, and establish a fair system.
As a menber of AAPS, The Heritage Foundation and a supporter of the ACRU ,I’m delighted with you letter to Congress and it likely helped to defeat the DocFix. This(DocFix) was a sucker punch bill the Harry Reid and others, who were using it to greese the sldes in the direction of Obams disasterous Health Care Plan. Congratulations. I e-mailed the Blue Dog Democrats who voted against it and thanked them as well as our Republican Congressmen.
Keep up the good work. I’m telling all my Residents about AAPS.