[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PROTECT THE MEDICARE PROGRAM

  (Mr. BUCSHON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, as a cardiothoracic surgeon, I stand here 
today to voice my concern about the impending cuts to the Medicare 
program. I implore the Congress to craft a multiyear fix to the SGR--
ideally, a permanent fix. This is a real threat to seniors across the 
country. Each year, the Congress continues to play politics with 
seniors' access to quality care. This must end.
  Seniors, some of our most vulnerable citizens, may not be able to see 
the doctors of their choosing if Congress does not address this issue. 
According to the AMA, one in three physicians is limiting the number of 
new Medicare patients they see, and one in eight doctors is no longer 
taking new Medicare patients. That's today.
  What is more disturbing than these immediate cuts is the fast 
approaching insolvency date. This is a critical problem. Ignoring the 
insolvency date of 2024 puts our seniors' care at risk, once again, on 
an even larger scale than what we are facing today.
  We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand. As a physician, on 
behalf of my patients, let's act now to protect the Medicare program 
and ensure access to quality care for America's seniors.

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