Nancy L. Johnson: “would you work for an employer who told you he was going to cut your pay next year 4\1/2\ percent? Would you work for an…”

“would you work for an employer who told you he was going to cut your pay next year 4\1/2\ percent? Would you work for an employer who told you he was going to cut your pay every year for the next 6 years 4\1/2\ percent? Would you work for an employer who told you he was going to cut your pay every year for the next 6 years 4\1/2\ percent and your costs were going up 21 percent? Of course you would not. Our seniors are already finding it hard to find a doctor who will take a new Medicare patient. What a hollow promise Medicare is if you cannot choose your own doctor. Only you, Mr. President, can require bureaucratic minds to take the actions necessary, fair and appropriate to break through the barriers to a destructive, unworkable, and outdated law. Only you, Mr. President, can give the order for administrative actions to allow budget-neutral repeal of the old SGR law and adoption of a modern pay-for-performance bill so you can fulfill the progressive vision that you have had that we all share of a Medicare program that can control costs by improving the quality of health care delivered to our seniors. I call on you to act, Mr. President. ____________________”