Contact: Richard Gulla
rgulla@mms.org
(781) 434-7101
Waltham, Mass. -- November 16, 2010 -- Organizations
representing senior citizens, teaching hospitals and physicians in
Massachusetts today urged Congress to act immediately and block a
pending 23 percent cut in physician Medicare fees, arguing that the
cut will severely destabilize Medicare and reduce access to care
for Medicare's beneficiaries in Massachusetts.
Congress returned to Washington this week for a brief lame-duck
session to address a crowded agenda, which includes Medicare. The
payment cut, mandated by a congressional budget formula, will take
effect Dec. 1 unless Congress acts.
The organizations are asking Congress to delay the payment cut
for at least 13 months, to give Congress time to address Medicare
long-term issues, particularly the flawed physician payment
system.
"Seniors have earned their Medicare and the security of knowing
they can keep seeing the doctors they count on," said Deborah
Banda, state director of AARP Massachusetts, which
represents more than 800,000 members age 50 and older in the Bay
State. "A recent AARP survey shows that no matter what
political party they belong to, seniors agree that Congress has a
responsibility to keep doctors in the Medicare program. It's
time for Congress to stop pointing fingers and work together to
find a common-sense solution that won't drive doctors out of
Medicare."
John Erwin, executive director of the Conference of
Boston Teaching Hospitals, said "We urge Congress to take
action to avert the pending cut and provide enough time for
Congress, the Administration, and those impacted by the physician
payment formula, time to develop a long term payment approach that
maintains access for our seniors while keeping pace with the cost
of care."
Alice A. Tolbert Coombs, M.D., president of the
Massachusetts Medical Society, said "For many
physicians in Massachusetts, Medicare patients account for more
than of half of their practice. Doctors want to care for their
Medicare patients, but a cut of this magnitude will make it
difficult to continue to provide care."
It is estimated that more than 1 million Massachusetts residents
are covered by Medicare. Another 71,000 members of military
families in Massachusetts are similarly affected, since health
insurance for military families is based on the Medicare fee
schedule. The coalition also maintains that the Medicare cuts will
destabilize hospitals, medical device companies, and other health
care organizations, because of the far-ranging effects of the
pending cuts. One in five workers in Massachusetts is
employed in health care, and 15 percent of the state's economy is
related to health care.
