Tom Coburn: “as Congress begins its consideration of reforming Medicare, I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues, perhaps…”

“as Congress begins its consideration of reforming Medicare, I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues, perhaps the most important component of the Medicare reform debate. What must we do to ensure the quality of care that Medicare patients will receive after changes are made to the program? While all of us in Congress are deeply concerned about the solvency of the Medicare trust fund, we must be equally concerned that the changes made to this program do not adversely affect the availability of health care to the elderly. As a practicing physician, I have spoken with my patients; and as a Member of Congress, I also have heard from thousands of my constituents. Their message is a clear one. Any Medicare reform proposal must guarantee patient choice and access quality. It must not result in a decline in the quality of care Medicare patients now receive. For the last several months, I have been working closely with the patient access to Specialty Care Coalition, a group of 115 patient, senior citizen, physician, and nonphysician organizations, dedicated to the principle that patients must be able to access the providers of their own choice. This week, I introduced H.R. 2350, the Patient Choice and Access Act, a bill to provide protection to beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare Program. Throughout the process of crafting a Medicare reform bill, I have been urging the House leadership to include my patient protection provisions.”