 |
|
|
|
Support Medicare Payment Reform
Tell your Legislators to Fix the Broken Medicare Reimbursement System
The Chicago Tribune (7/19) editorialized, "If your boss threatened to slash your pay by 21 percent, then said 'never mind,' then threatened again, then changed his mind, then threatened again, and kept this up for eight years," you would be ready to quit. "That's how Congress has been dealing with doctors who treat Medicare patients. And lo and behold, a lot of doctors are walking away from Medicare."
Americans need a rational Medicare physician payment system that automatically keeps up with the cost of running a practice and is backed by a fair, stable funding formula. Sign the online “Stop the Medicare Meltdown” petition today. Download a paper petition (Color Black/White) to help gather signatures.
Physicians: Download a "Stop the Medicare Meltdown" poster for your office: Color Black/White
Medicare Payment News: On June 25 President Obama signed into law the "Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010." This law provides a 2.2% update to the Medicare physician payment rates retroactive from June 1 through November 30, 2010. CMS has directed a stop on claims processing at the negative update rates (the 21% cut enacted June 1) and a temporary hold on claims for services of June 1 and later, until the new 2.2% update rates are tested and loaded into the claims processing systems. CMS expects to begin processing claims at the new rates by July 1. Claims for services rendered prior to June 1 will continue to be processed and paid as usual. For more information, including what to do for claims recently submitted, visit HMA's Medicare Updates page.
A Permanent Fix Needed: Physician and patient advocates are calling for a permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which has been the cause of steep payment cuts. Past short-term patches have only made the problem worse. Congress needs to solve the problem permanently, to preserve access to care and provide physician practices with the financial stability they need to care for our seniors.
Problem Affects All Healthcare: The Medicare payment formula also directly affects reimbursement rates from TriCare (coverage for military families) and Medicaid. Additionally, most commercial insurance payment schedules are based on a percentage of Medicare rates.
Call (800) 833-6354, the AMA Grassroots Hotline, to be directly connected with your legislators.
Tell your legislators:
•Congress must fulfill its obligations to Medicare patients and military families covered by TRICARE.
•Short-term patches that only make future cuts deeper and the cost of a permanent solution more expensive are not the answer.
•Cuts in Medicare payments, which already do not cover the cost of providing care, will adversely affect Medicaid reimbursements, and even those from private insurers, who often base payments on Medicare rates.
•The fiscally responsible solution is permanent repeal of the SGR formula.
Send an e-mail directly to your representative through the AMA Grassroots Action Center at www.ama-assn.org/go/grassroots.
Letter to US Senate from AMA President
Medicare Payment Materials:
Flyer for physicians
Medicare Payment Action Kit
Flyer for patients
National Health System Reform Information
Health system reform passed by the U.S. House of Representatives
On March 21 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as well as the reconciliation bill, H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which contains additional refinements.
HMA continues to review health system reform provisions as they relate to Hawaii's unique situation. The HMA Council has voted to reserve support for legislation that does not properly address medical liability reform, commissions and committees that lead to limiting medical innovation, lack of provisions ensuring universal access, and factors that increase overall costs.
Read HMA's latest letter to Hawaii's U.S. Congressional Delegates
The AMA offered its qualified support for passage of H.R. 3590, stating that "it will improve the ability of patients and their physicians to achieve better health outcomes." The association has also stated they will work with Congress and the Obama administration to make critical changes—outlined in a letter to Congress—that cannot be addressed through the reconciliation process.
For more details:
AMA's Health System Reform Bulletin, March 21
Blog post from AMA President J. James Rohack, MD
FAQ document on HR 3590
Chart outlining how AMA HOD Resolution 203 provisions are addressed in the legislation
Implementation Timeline
FAQ on Medical Liability Reform Provisions
How Health System Reform will Affect Physician Practices
The AMA's key concepts for meaningful health system reform are:
- Health insurance coverage for all Americans
- Insurance market reforms that expand choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials for pre-existing conditions or due to arbitrary caps
- Assurance that health care decisions will remain in the hands of patients and their physicians, not insurance companies or government officials
- Investments and incentives for quality improvement and prevention and wellness initiatives
- Repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula that triggers steep cuts and threaten seniors’ access to care
- Implementation of medical liability reforms to reduce the cost of defensive medicine
- Streamline and standardize insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens
AMA to President Obama & summit attendees: Medical liability reform essential to curbing health costs
Read HMA's letter to Hawaii's Congressional Delegation (Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, Congressman Neil Abercrombie and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono)
HMA President on PBS Hawaii: If you missed HMA's President, Dr. Gary Okamoto, discussing health system reform on the PBS Hawaii program "Insights", or wish to see it again, visit www.kmeb.org/insights02.htm to watch online.
HMA President Communicates to White House: View Dr. Gary Okamoto's comments to President Obama’s Office of Health Reform, discussing health system reform as part of Congressman Neil Abercrombie's Healthcare Advisory Task Force www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3QD12qn7E&feature=PlayList&p=39CD75BC7EF43D45&index=0
The 2010 Hawaii state legislative session recently came to a close. For information on how the session fared for physicians and patients, download HMA's final 2010 Legislative Report.
Membership dues allow the Hawaii Medical Association to represent Hawaii physicians and to play a crucial role at the state legislature shaping the future of our health care system. HMA’s objectives are to help physicians put patient care first, and to assure high quality health care for all the people in Hawaii. To accomplish these goals, HMA supports legislative initiatives such as:
• Fair business practices in managed care and health insurance; • Monitoring various patient safety and public health issues;
• Medical liability tort reforms; and
• Supporting additional measures to help address Hawaii's physician shortage.
HMA’s legislative committee meets throughout each legislative session to follow important legislation. HMA members who are interested in joining the committee, or leaning more about ways to participate, can contact April Donahue, 536-7702 x110. If you are not an HMA member and wish to join, visit our “Join HMA” web page or contact April at HMA for more details.
Hawaii's residents and tourists are facing a shortage of physicians across the state, which puts everyone's health at risk. Physicians are leaving Hawaii, retiring early, or no longer providing high-risk, but life-saving treatments due in large part to the risk of being sued and high medical malpractice insurance premiums, low reimbursements from public and private health insurers, and the high cost of living.
States such as Texas, California, Alaska, Idaho and others have enacted common-sense "Medical Liability Reform" or "tort reform". Reforms include establishing reasonable limits on arbitrary, non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits (injured parties would still receive all economic damages such as present and future cost of care, lost wages, etc); caps on attorneys' fees to give a greater share of settlement money to injured patients; and ensuring that a defendant is liable for only his/her portion of fault.
This type of medical liability reform has been shown to lower the incidence of defensive medicine - ordering tests that are unnecessary for fear of being sued, reduce malpractice insurance premiums, and make those states more attractive to physicians. It is one of the critical solutions that will help Hawaii retain and recruit a physician workforce. It costs taxpayers nothing, while saving government dollars and reducing health care costs overall.
Are you a patient who has experienced the access to health care shortage in Hawaii? Contact Save Our Doctors - a Hawaii consumer group who aims to end Hawaii's physician shortage.
For additional references, please visit:
Find Your Legislators
Contact Your Representative
Contact Your Senator
|
|
|
|
|