June 10, 2008

Congress must pass legislation quickly to stop the deferred 10.1 percent cut in the Medicare conversion factor from taking effect on July 1st, 2008. We urge you to call your two Senators today to ask them to support S. 3101, the bill that would fix this problem as well as the ongoing anesthesia teaching rule iniquity. ASA posted the notice below on its website yesterday and will be bringing the message to Capitol Hill today and tomorrow as part of its Legislative Conference activities.

____________________________

June 9, 2008

ALERT: Senate set to vote on SGR and Teaching Rule reform!!!

Call your Senator and urge a “YES” vote on S. 3101

After months of work, Congress is taking its first important step toward addressing the massive 10 percent Medicare payment cut scheduled for implementation on July 1.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008,” would avert Medicare payment cuts AND reform the Medicare anesthesiology teaching rule! ASA strongly endorses the bill. ASA members must call their Senators and urge a “YES” vote on S. 3101.

• Call the Capitol Switchboard, (202) 224-3121.
• Ask to speak to your Senators.
• Urge your Senators to vote “YES” on S. 3101.
• Tell them this is a “KEY” vote for physicians.

Introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and joined by “Jay” Rockefeller (D-WV) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), S. 3101 includes many Medicare provisions, several of which are vital to anesthesiology. Of particular importance, the legislation:

Blocks Medicare payment cuts for 18 months through December 31, 2009 and provides a 1.1 percent positive Medicare payment update for 2009. The bill’s 18-month fix provides time for Congress to develop an alternative update mechanism to address the additional Medicare payment cuts still projected for 2010 and beyond.

• Includes language authored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), cosponsored by 29 additional Senators, that restores full Medicare payment to anesthesiology teaching programs.
• Extends the 1.0 floor on the work GPCI through December 31, 2009
• Increases the PQRI bonus to 2.0 percent for 2009 and 2010.

CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW! Tell him or her that this is a key vote for medicine and that you expect a “yes” vote.

The vote is expected to be very close. Every Senator’s “yes” vote is crucial to the passage of S. 3101.

ASA is also awaiting possible introduction of a Republican alternative and will provide added information as it becomes available after our review.