House Votes to Suspend Medicare Cuts to Physicians, AMA Calls for Permanent Action

American Medical Association

U.S. House Votes Today to Temporarily Suspend Medicare Cuts to Physicians, AMA Calls for Permanent Action to Preserve Seniors' Access to Care

For immediate release:
Dec. 16, 2009

Statement Attributable to:
J. James Rohack, MD
President, American Medical Association

"Ensuring continued access to physician care for America's seniors is critically important, which is why Congress must fix the broken Medicare physician payment formula once and for all. The AMA acknowledges today's vote in the House to temporarily suspend for two months the 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut that begins in three weeks, as this will allow physicians to continue to care for Medicare patients while waiting for the Senate to vote on a permanent solution. The House has already passed H.R. 3961, which will replace the broken Medicare physician payment formula with a system that better reflects the cost of providing 21st century medical care - and we urge the Senate to quickly take similar action so the President can sign it into law early next year."

AMA letter to Congress urging permanent repeal of SGR formula