[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            DECLINING MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT FOR PHYSICIANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tancredo). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today, as I have a number of 
times before, to call attention to declining Medicare reimbursements 
for physicians.
  Effective January 1, 2004, physicians and other providers paid 
pursuant to the Medicare physician fee schedule, face at least a 4.5 
percent cut in reimbursements.

                              {time}  2130

  Mr. Speaker, I have been outspoken on this issue and have described 
several instances in which the citizens of Georgia and our Nation will 
be negatively affected by this cut. There is a staffing issue within 
the trauma center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Dr. Harry 
Sherman in Augusta is contemplating retirement due to a lack of 
adequate Medicare reimbursement and the high cost of liability 
premiums. And more specifically, I demonstrated the decreasing 
reimbursement for, and thus the eventual reduction in access to very 
common procedures provided to Medicare recipients.
  I would like to bring the attention of my colleagues to a survey 
conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This survey is 
not necessarily scientific, but I believe it is indicative of the 
problem we are facing. AAFP found that 24 percent of family physicians 
no longer accept new Medicare patients. After the 4.5 percent cut was 
announced, AAFP surveyed again to find out what its members would do if 
the cut takes effect. As detailed in a release from the American 
Academy of Family Physicians, only 36 percent said they would take new 
Medicare patients if these new cuts occur.
  Mr. Speaker, come January, doctors are going to take a cut in their 
reimbursement for treating our Nation's most needy individuals. There 
is an old saying, however, that the night is always darkest just before 
the dawn. With a physician-reimbursement disaster looming, Congress is 
on the verge of a breakthrough. Housed within the Medicare 
modernization bill is temporary relief for the medical community. House 
and Senate negotiators have announced an agreement that will 
potentially bring this legislation before the Congress this week. I 
thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) and the subcommittee 
chair, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), and those from 
the other Chamber, such as Senators Frist, Grassley, Baucus and Breaux, 
who have worked so hard to get us to where we are today.
  I encourage all of those involved in this process to continue to act 
in the best interests of the American people, but especially our 
seniors and the medical community on which they so desperately depend. 
Let me be clear, as a physician Member of the United States House of 
Representatives, I believe that we must pass the Medicare conference 
report now. For nearly 40 years, Medicare has provided necessary health 
care to millions of patients across this country. Another steep cut in 
reimbursement rates would have been devastating for the physicians who 
care for Medicare patients; but with the language that has been 
crafted, the physician-reimbursement update would be a positive 1.5 
percent.
  This chart is representative of the positive impact the current 
Medicare legislation will have on Medicare providers throughout the 
country. For example, New York will see a benefit of $865 million; 
Washington State benefits $155 million; Texas, $641 million; and most 
important to me and my colleagues from Georgia, our State will benefit 
$254 million. All 50 States will see a positive impact from the current 
version of the Medicare conference report.
  I cannot overstate the importance of just this one piece of the 
overall Medicare bill. It is my hope this will allow for the continued 
access to quality health care for our seniors. I am proud that as the 
door was slamming shut on our seniors' health care, this Congress stood 
up, and will stand up, in a bipartisan fashion and hold this door open.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest achievements of the Medicare program 
is the access to high-quality care it has brought to our Nation's 
seniors and disabled patients. This level of access is more likely to 
continue in light of this temporary fix. This legislation will allow 
Congress and the Center for Medicare Services the time to work together 
to finally find a more permanent solution by revamping the Medicare 
payment formula.
  Doctors are the linchpin of the Medicare program. Let me say that a 
prescription drug plan is no benefit at all unless there are physicians 
willing to accept Medicare patients and to write those prescriptions. 
We need to pass this conference report and pass it now.

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