[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CUTS TO MEDICARE PHYSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, we have a problem. Without immediate 
congressional action, there are seniors in our country who will not 
receive medical care from their doctor next year. Payments to 
physicians who provide health care services to Medicare patients will 
be cut by over 5 percent as of January 1, 2007. If Congress fails to 
act before we adjourn this year, this cut will automatically go into 
effect. The result will be reduced access to care for Medicare patients 
across our Nation. Older Americans should not have to worry that their 
doctors will be forced to stop treating them because Congress did not 
act.
  At a time when physician costs are skyrocketing, we cannot expect our 
doctors to lose money when they treat Medicare patients. There is still 
time to act, but the clock is ticking, and seniors are looking to 
Congress for leadership on this important issue.
  The 109th Congress will soon end. It would be an outrage and a 
dereliction of duty if the Republican Congress, in its final days, does 
not fix this serious problem to avert a potential health care crisis 
for millions of our fellow Americans.
  I urge that we pass a Medicare reimbursement fix before we leave this 
week.

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