The American Medical Association has urged Congress not to let partisanship stand in the way of fixing Medicare's sustainable growth rate.
In the letter, AMA CEO James L. Madara, MD, wrote, "I am writing to profess our profound disappointment that a strong bipartisan, bicameral effort to repeal the Medicare SGR has become a victim of partisan approaches to resolve budgetary issues."
The letter refers to House Republicans' decision to tie a five-year delay for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's individual mandate to a bill that would repeal and replace the SGR, under which physicians face a 24 percent Medicare pay cut on April 1 unless lawmakers act soon.
Every year since 2003, Congress has passed a short-term legislative patch to stave off double-digit Medicare pay cuts for physicians under the SGR. The SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 is a bipartisan measure that would permanently solve the SGR issue by repealing the formula and replacing it with a payment system that incentivizes physicians to provide high-quality, low-cost care.
However, the bill could be brought down by an amendment added by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.). The amendment would delay the individual mandate's enforcement through 2019 and would increase the number of uninsured people in 2018 by about 13 million people, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This would mean fewer individuals would receive coverage under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Furthermore, fewer people would get coverage through the health insurance exchanges and receive federal subsidies to cover their premiums.
Earlier this week, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement stating the Obama administration "strongly opposes" House passage of the bill on the grounds that the amendment would "increase health insurance premiums, decrease tax credits, increase the number of uninsured and shift costs to businesses, workers, and healthcare providers."
The House is scheduled to vote on the bill today, according to the AMA.
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