Peter Deutsch: “this year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Medicare. The program has benefited over 93 million Americans since it…”

“this year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Medicare. The program has benefited over 93 million Americans since it was signed into law on July 30, 1965, by President Johnson. Yet, our health care system has changed dramatically since then, with medical technology in many ways leading the way, and Medicare has not kept pace with that. I am concerned about the widening gap between the Medicare program and the cutting edge of medical technology. I am concerned because it means that more than 90,000 Medicare-aged people in my district cannot gain access to advanced treatment and technologies they need. As Congress looks at adjustments to the program, we must act now to repair the gaps in Medicare for the next 35 years of medical innovation. Medicare's procedure for adding new technologies to the program involve coverage, coding, and payment decisions. Unfortunately, problems and delays have occurred at each of these stages. The result is that now it can take more than 4 years or more to make the latest breakthrough treatments available to beneficiaries. I believe that Medicare patients have waited long enough for a program that gives them access to the advanced medical technologies they need. That is why I am pleased to lend full support of H.R. 4395, the Medicare Patient Access to Technology Act, a bipartisan bill which hopefully we will pass this session, and which will lead to 21st century medicine for Medicare beneficiaries.”