[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   MEDICARE PHYSICIAN PAYMENT SYSTEM

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, for decades the fundamentally flawed 
Medicare physician payment system has created uncertainty and 
instability, not only in the health care system but in the larger 
economy.
  Every year physicians face the threat of reimbursement cuts which, in 
turn, hinders their ability to provide the necessary care that patients 
need. The Sustainable Growth Rate rate formula has constantly called 
for negative updates to physician payments with the scheduled 
reductions accumulating year after year, but Congress has continually 
delayed the cuts.
  Congress has a historic opportunity to implement sound fiscal policy 
in the Medicare program in the context of broad economic reforms. I 
believe we must pursue a fair, efficient, and affordable long-term 
solution to the Medicare SGR formula. I am committed to working with my 
colleagues to pass commonsense legislation that promotes efficiency, 
quality, and value and ensures access to medical services for Medicare 
beneficiaries.

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