Chris Murphy: “If you owned a hardware store and sold hammers that cost $1 apiece but you had to sell them for 40 cents apiece, how…”

“If you owned a hardware store and sold hammers that cost $1 apiece but you had to sell them for 40 cents apiece, how long would you sell hammers? You wouldn't sell them very long because it just doesn't make financial sense, and you literally can't just give money and walk money out the door. Unfortunately, this is what is happening with Medicare patients. Physicians want to take care of their patients. They are caring individuals, but when the numbers don't matter, you just can't do it. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. McCormick), and emergency room physician, to talk on this issue. Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it is rare in this Chamber, especially recently, that you find a bipartisan effort, especially one that is all about the people. In this case, it is about the people. You have seen several physicians and several people from different committees from all over the Nation agree on one thing: We are not doing the right thing. By cutting Medicare payments to individual practitioners, we have done the opposite of the right thing. We will consolidate healthcare. You lose the cheapest way to deliver healthcare to the most people. Right now, hospital systems employ 71 percent of all physicians, and that is going up every year. Physicians deliver healthcare at the lowest possible rate. That is a fact.…”