|
The Democrats' loss of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate has placed health system reform in question. President Obama says he is still committed to reform, but reports out of Washington say he may try to pass smaller, less-controversial reform legislation.
During his Jan. 27 State of the Union Address, President Obama said reform is close. He urged Congress not to walk away. "Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people."
The president asked both sides of the aisle "to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo. But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know."
That is precisely what the Texas Medical Association has done throughout the health system reform debate. TMA has pressed the president and Congress to "keep what's good and fix what's broken" in the health care system. TMA supports health insurance industry reforms – including stronger consumer protections and the prohibition of policies that contain a preexisting condition exclusion – that are among the concepts considered as stand-alone bills.
The American Medical Association and AARP meanwhile launched a television ad campaign urging Congress to rewrite Medicare's broken Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula before 21-percent cuts in physicians' Medicare payments begin on March 1. "The Congressional Record is replete with statements by senators from both sides of the aisle calling for permanent Medicare physician payment reform," AMA and AARP wrote to House and Senate leaders. "What is missing, however, is action. As the nation's largest organizations representing physicians and older Americans, we urge you to support passage of legislation to permanently repeal the SGR."
TMA is asking every member of our congressional delegation for a commitment to support a fix to the SGR – no ifs, ands, or buts. If both Democrats and Republicans recognize that the formula is flawed and needs to be fixed, why can't we get the job done?
Physicians have until March 17 to make their Medicare participation decisions for 2010. To help you decide, TMA has developed a new Webinar that outlines your choices – and their consequences – and an interactive tool to help you estimate the financial impact of Medicare's payment changes on your practice.
Additional Articles and Reports on Health Care Reform
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Health Reform 'Health Calls': TMA Meetings Help Physicians, Patients Shape Debate
.gif) (Texas Medicine, Oct. 1, 2009)
- TMA, California Medical Association suggest improvements (PDF) to Senate Finance Committee health system reform bill (Sept. 21, 2009)
- AMA: Our Vision for Health System Reform
- AMA Defines Seven Health Reform Principles (Action, Sept. 15, 2009)
- Foundation Says HSR Balloons Health Cost (Action, Sept. 15, 2009
- Take Your Health Care Concerns to the Top
- TMA Expands Health Reform House Calls (Action, Sept. 1, 2009)
-
-
-
- TMA "Deeply Troubled" by House Health Reform Bill (Action, July 17, 2009)
- Border Health Caucus Response to The New Yorker Article: "The Cost Conundrum" (July 6, 2009)
- Ten Questions for Health System Reform (June 18, 2009)
- TMA Reform Must Provide Patient Access While Protecting Freedoms (June 17, 2009)
- Obama Touts Health Reform at AMA Meeting (Action, June 16, 2009)
- President Obama Brings His Health System Reform Proposals to U.S. Physicians (June 15, 2009)
- AMA Progress Report to President Obama: Pledge to Reduce Rate of Growth by 1.5 Percent (PDF, June 1, 2009)
- Health System Reform (Texas Medicine, June 2009)
- TMA Outlines Key Proposals to Improve Health Care Financing (PDF, May 26, 2009)
- Letter to Senator Baucus: Delivery System Reform Policy Options (PDF, May 15, 2009)
- TMA's Health System Reform Principles
- TMA in Washington D.C. (March 6, 2007)
- Federal Stimulus Package Resource Center
- TMA: Your Voice on Health System Reform
- AMA: Summary of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
- AMA's Fact Sheet
- What Stimulus Means to Texas Health Care
- Good Bill, Bad Bill - Action (March 17, 2008)
- Summary of the Health Provisions in the Economic Stimulus Package (Feb. 3, 2009)
- Stop the Consolidation of Health Insurers (PDF)
- 2009 Federal Legislative Issue Briefs
- TMA's 111th U.S. Congress Main Page
Last Published: 4/19/2010 Print this page
|