ALERT

Medicare veto expected today

This morning President Bush is expected to veto HR 6331, the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.” The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in stunning fashion last week, eliminates the 10.6 percent physician reimbursement cut that took effect July 1 (and held in abeyance until today by the Bush administration), replacing it with pre-July 1 reimbursement levels through the end of the year and a 1.1 percent increase for 2009. See an AMA-prepared summary of the bill here. The bill passed the Senate last Wednesday on a 69-30 vote, and the U.S. House 355-59 on June 24. (See last week's Medigram.)

Please call your member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold today. Ask them to override the President’s veto of HR 6331. You can use the AMA’s Legislative Hotline number to reach your member of Congress: 800.833.6354.

Some points to raise:

• These cuts are about patients. Margins in physician offices are very small—too small to absorb another cut of nearly 11 percent. Many physicians are simply going to start turning away Medicare patients—especially new Medicare patients.
• The problem is even worse in many rural states like Wisconsin, since the “floor” on geographic adjustments made to a portion of Medicare physician payments also expired July 1. This would mean an additional cut of between 1 and 3 percent if the HR 6331 veto isn’t overridden.

Eight of Wisconsin’s 10 members of Congress voted for HR 6331 when it was before them for a vote. Ask them to once again vote for patients and access to care:

• Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Milwaukee)
• Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Middleton)
• Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison)
• Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse)
• Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee)
• Rep. Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac)
• Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wausau)
• Rep. Steve Kagen, MD (D-Appleton)

Two members have consistently voted against HR 6331. Ask them to reconsider and vote to help patients and their physicians:

• Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville)
• Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls)

The Society will send letters to the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation when the veto is official. Please take a moment today to make your voice heard!

Contact Mark Grapentine with any questions.