[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JO ANN DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 8, 2006

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, due to a medical 
treatment, I was unable to attend votes on Friday, December 8, 2006. 
Had I been present, I would have voted the following:
  H.R. 6406--``Nay''. To modify temporarily certain rates of duty and 
make other technical amendments to the trade laws, to extend certain 
trade preference programs, and for other purposes.
  H.R. 6111--``Yea''. Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. I was 
particularly interested in a provision of this bill that provides an 
increase in payments to Medicare physician payments. I am concerned 
with the reimbursement rates and the Gross Domestic Product-based 
formula known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) used to calculate 
healthcare services rendered. Using the SGR formula, without this fix, 
Medicare was scheduled to cut physician payments by nearly 5 percent 
effective January 1, 2007. I believe that we need to reform our 
reimbursement structure to keep physicians participating in both 
Medicare and TRICARE. The constituents in my district, both the doctors 
and patients, have called my office to let me know this is particularly 
important to them, especially as the number of enrollees in both 
programs is increasing. I was very pleased this provision was included 
in H.R. 6111.

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