[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 183 (Thursday, December 1, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FIXING MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT RATE

  (Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on 
behalf of the 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Connecticut and the 
thousands of physicians who care for them. We need to take up a bill in 
this Congress over the next several weeks to finally fix the flawed 
Medicare sustainable growth rate formula.
  Since 2003, for almost a decade, physicians have been dealing with 
the uncertainty that comes with scheduled annual rate reductions. 
They're staring at a 28 percent reduction right now. That means about 
$28,000 per year per Connecticut physician.
  If this were to happen, it would happen at the worst possible time. 
With all the baby boomers coming on to the Medicare rolls, there would 
be a lot of physicians who just couldn't take Medicare patients any 
longer. They'd likely have to lay off workers at a time when we already 
have 9 percent unemployment in Connecticut and across the Nation.
  This is unacceptable and we have to do something about it. So over 
the next several weeks, let's fix this once and for all. Let's stand 
together as a Congress and put an end to this outdated system and 
provide some certainty and security for America's seniors and America's 
physicians.

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