A bill introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is aimed at blocking the looming 10.6 percent Medicare payment cut scheduled for July 1.
The bill, if passed, would help the estimated 60 percent of doctors who say they would be forced to limit the number of new Medicare patients they treat in order to stay afloat if the payment cut is enacted.
"Earlier this week Congress' own advisory committee on Medicare called for replacing physician payment cuts with updates that reflect medical practice cost increases," said Nancy Nielsen, MD, the American Medical Association's president-elect. "Senator Stabenbow's bill is an important step toward implementing this recommendation and we urge Congress to act before the cut begins this July and seniors' access to care is negatively affected."
The Senate bill would replace 18 months of Medicare cuts with payment updates that better reflect medical practice cost increases. According to the AMA, the year-and-a-half time frame would inject some stability into the system for seniors and physicians forced to make difficult practice decisions because of planned payment cuts. The bill would also give Congress time to work on a long-term solution to twhat has often been called a "broken" payment system.
"Senator Stabenbow is a steadfast champion for preserving seniors' access to healthcare, and AMA applauds her ongoing commitment to solving this important healthcare access issue," Nielsen said.