Etheridge votes for medicare doctor payment reform


Washington, D.C. — Rep. Bob Etheridge voted last week to preserve and expand seniors’ access to their doctors by supporting H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009.

The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 243-183 and will create a stable system for Medicare payments to physicians that protects seniors, preserves their relationship with their doctors and promotes primary care. It also restores fiscal discipline to Congress by making budgetary pay-as-you-go rules permanent.

“Medicare is a vital lifeline for seniors, but it is worthless if doctors cannot afford to see Medicare patients,” Etheridge said. “Seniors should be able to see the doctors they prefer, and fixing the doctor payment system will make sure they have access to high-quality care from people they trust.”

The legislation will repeal a 21% fee reduction for doctors who accept Medicare that is scheduled for January 2010, and replace it with a stable system that ends the cycle of threats of ever-larger fee cuts followed by short-term and ineffective patches. The Medicare physician payment formula has been flawed from its inception, and since 2002 Congress has had to intervene on a yearly basis to avert projected payment cuts in order to preserve seniors’ access to care. H.R. 3961 builds on the health insurance reform bill the House passed two weeks ago, which will lower premiums, extend the solvency of Medicare by five years, and close the “donut hole” drug coverage gap.

The bill includes H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2009, which Congressman Etheridge cosponsored and which passed the House of Representatives. The legislation demands that any budgetary, tax or mandatory spending be paid for by savings elsewhere in the budget. The renewed requirement will be enforced by Congress with the threat of annual, across-the-board cuts in spending if the net effect of legislation increases the deficit. Etheridge believes that one step towards greater fiscal responsibility is by ensuring the nation’s deficit doesn’t grow larger.

“I am committed to fiscal responsibility and honest budgeting for the future,” Etheridge said. “As a former small business owner, I know the importance of keeping your books balanced and your budget in order. By fixing the doctor payment issue and including PAYGO, Congress is ending budget gimmicks and the reckless borrow-and-spend policies of the last decade.”