WASHINGTON, DC – Both Democrat and Republican members of Illinois congressional delegation signed a letter last week urging Congressional leaders to pass a long-term fix to the federal Medicare patient reimbursement formula.
The letter, signed by 259 Members of Congress - including Illinois' Democrats Dan Lipinski, Mike Quigley, Tammy Duckworth, Bobby Rush, Robin Kelly, Cheri Bustos, Bill Foster and Bill Enyart and Republicans Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis and John Shimkus - was sent to House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
As small businesses, physicians in Illinois and across the country face uncertainty each year as significant payment cuts for serving patients on Medicare hang over them as December nears. The current Medicare payment system is outdated and needs to be repealed, the letter signers agree.
“As health care costs rise, it has become obvious the current formula for reimbursing these doctors has become outdated, unrealistic and unsustainable. It’s unacceptable that these doctors have to budget for the future unsure whether or not their receipts could drop by more than a quarter in the next year," Congressman Randy Hultgren said Wednesday. "We are already facing a serious doctor shortage in this country and our seniors cannot afford for more doctors to call it quits and no longer take Medicare recipients as patients.
The Medicare program needs to provide stability, predictability and sustainability, Hultgren said.
"Patients need the assurance that doctors will continue to provide for them, and doctors need the assurance they will get paid for doing their job. Members on both sides of aisle agree that it is time for Congress to work toward enacting responsible reforms and replacing the flawed formula with an alternative that controls costs, pays doctors fairly and maintains quality services for Medicare patients.”
