Action Needed This Week on Medicare Doc Fix Bill

Medicare is the subject of debate on the floor of the senate this month with a time sensitive piece of legislation. The debate is over what is being called the “Doctors Fix Bill”.

A Part of the Medicare Modernization Act is scheduled reductions of reimbursements to doctors for their treatment of Medicare patients. As a result, some doctors are choosing to drop their Medicare patients or refuse to take on additional patients. The purpose of the reductions is to entice recipients to opt into the Medicare Advantage plans which should cover the difference. Unfortunately, many of the recipients can not afford to participate in Advantage leaving these patients without a primary care giver and without care.

Currently the debate on the floor is focused on continuing and increasing the reimbursements to doctors. An 18 month temporary extension of the current level of reimbursements is the proposed and a likely out come of the legislation. The Alliance for Retired Americans is taking the position that the legislation is inadequate. The Senate Medicare bill must help beneficiaries in need, not just providers.

Some items the Alliance would like to see added or addressed in the bill include:

·The price of increased reimbursements to physicians will be passed onto recipients making Medicare less affordable. More assistance needs to be provided for low to moderate income recipients to aid in the new costs.

Programs designed to improve the lives of poor Medicare beneficiaries [including the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)], are broken and must be fixed.

The Senate bill should simplify and align Medicare low-income assistance programs, bring outdated asset limits in line with today’s cost of living, and improve outreach and participation for those currently eligible.

A Call to Action

The senate bill is in trouble even though the influential physicians lobby is behind the bill. President Bush has promised to veto any legislation that calls for changes away from those made by the Medicare Modernization Act. As it stands today, the senate is split along party lines making it vulnerable to the veto threat.

Oregon Senator Gordon Smith is one of those 49 currently in opposition to the bill. In the past, Senator Smith has tried to prove his independent and moderate credentials during election season. As recent polling suggests he faces a tight race for re-election this year. He once again may be in a position to listen to the concerns of seniors and those in need of healthcare.

So what can you do?

You can call or write Senators Smith and Wyden’s offices and ask them to support the “Doctors Fix Bill” and the added requests of the Alliance for Retired Americans. It is said that for every person who takes the time to call their representative, there are 25 others who feel the same way.

You can write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper. The editorial section is one of the most widely read sections of the paper and a great way to inform the readers about the issues that you care about.

You can inform your friends, family, social clubs of the issues and ask them to act as well.