Phil Gingrey: “I rise again this week as I have done in previous weeks to call attention to declining Medicare reimbursement for…”

“I rise again this week as I have done in previous weeks to call attention to declining Medicare reimbursement for physicians. Effective January 1, 2004, physicians and other providers paid pursuant to the Medicare physician fee schedule face at least a 4.2 percent cut in reimbursements. For nearly 40 years, Medicare has provided necessary health care to those millions of patients across this country. Another steep cut in reimbursement rates is now forcing many physicians who care for Medicare patients to make very difficult choices. Complicating the situation, Mr. Speaker, further, is the fact that doctors in some areas are experiencing double and even triple-digit percentage increases of their liability premiums. In a host of States, like my State of Georgia, surgeons are scrambling to find affordable liability insurance, if it is available at all. When doctors are forced out of practice, patient access to care is further compromised. Fewer doctors overall translates into greater difficulty obtaining an appointment for every patient but especially those who rely on Medicare. Earlier this year we passed H.R. 5, the HEALTH Act to combat the problem of increased liability premiums at the Federal level. Unfortunately, this commonsense legislation has now languished in the Senate. I reiterate my support for this bill, and I urge its swift passage by the entire Congress so that President Bush can sign it into law this year.”