Let's Work Together to Fix Medicare!
Congress has been passing temporary patches to the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) for 16 years. This formula, based on economic growth, dictates Medicare physician payment rates -- and the time has come to pass a permanent solution.
The American Medical Association is teaming up with more than 100 other medical organizations to send a list of recommendations to Congress. The goal? To eliminate the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and provide long-term Medicare reforms aimed at improving the quality of patient care while lowering costs.
The time has come for Congress to acknowledge there is NOTHING sustainable about the SGR. The cost rises every time they pass another short-term patch -- and this year marks the 16-year anniversary of this "short-term" approach without a long-term solution.
Send a message to Congress: Physicians and patients have had enough "short-term" Medicare patches. It's time to work together for a long-term solution and solve this problem once and for all!
Dear [Representative],
Over 100 medical organizations are urging Congress to revitalize the Medicare program. As a concerned patient who cares about access to Medicare, I ask that you please support physicians by working with them to improve this system through long-term, cost-effective reforms.
The regular short-term patches to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula make it more difficult in the long-run to fix the Medicare system. Without a long-term solution to the SGR, millions of patients face the threat of a financially unstable Medicare system and limited access to care.
[Your comments added here.]
The SGR was intended to be a short-term strategy, but it's been in place for 16 consecutive years and patched 15 times since 2003 alone! The Congressional Budget Office now estimates that repealing the SGR will cost over $100 billion less than in 2012. Now is the time to move forward with our health care system and repeal the SGR.
There is nothing sustainable about the SGR. Let's work together on a long-term solution to Medicare that physicians and patients can both count on!
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
