Date: 2010-06-24
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to support the permanent fix for doctors. Thats what we have been saying as Democrats for more than a year. I want to thank the leadership. who has taken the calls of Members who are representing their doctors and seniors and who are saying we have got to do this. So let me tell the doctors of America: Look at what your friends look likeDemocrats. who have been fighting over and over again. I promised physicians in my area. the doctors who work in inner city neighborhoods. that we were not going to leave them without help. I hope the other body and my friends on the other side of the aisle. the Republicans. will really understand the facts. We have to join together. Doctors help save lives. They tend to our seniors. It is important that they have the reimbursement they need. We rise today to support the 6month fix. but we rise today to say the Democrats have been fighting to get this right. We are going to get it right. We are going to provide for the physicians. We are going to stop this 21 percent cut. and we are going to provide doctors for Americans who are waiting for us to do our jobs. Support the legislation. Physicians. your friends are us. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3962. the "Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010." a provision that retroactively reverses the 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians scheduled for June 1. 2010. and also provides a 2.2 percent status report to physician payments through November 30. 2010. This provision also protects TRICARE military families dedicated to the service of this nation. Mr. Speaker. I would like to pay special tribute to my good friend. Chairman HENRY WAXMAN. for his lifetime of devoted service to the cause of affordable health care for all Americans. I also thank the Democratic leadership. led by Speaker PELOSI. making health care affordable for Medicare beneficiaries a central issue. Democrats promised to chart a new direction for America if given the chance to lead. Today. we take another giant step toward fulfilling that promise. For nearly a decade. Medicare patients and the doctors who treat them have been held hostage by shortterm patches to an unworkable Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. In the months to come. I look forward to working with Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to repeal the SGR formula and to replace it with a permanent physician payment system for Medicare that rewards value and ends the uncertainty for patients and providers alike. In addition. the bill provides enhanced Medicaid funding to states to assist them with the added costs of providing health coverage to underserved and underrepresented individuals and for home and community based services that must be extended. Under current law. all outpatient services provided within three days before an inpatient admission and are related to the inpatient admission must be included in the bundled payment for that admission. The provision closes a loophole that had allowed the unbundling of services and submission of adjustment claims seeking separate and additional Medicare payments. This provision provides temporary. targeted funding relief for single employer and multiemployer pension plans that suffered significant losses in asset value due to the steep market slide in 2008. Employers that elect the relief would be required to make additional contributions to the plan if they pay compensation to any employee in excess of $1 million. pay extraordinary dividends. or engage in extraordinary stock buybacks during the first part of the relief period. Additional relief is available to certain plans sponsored by charitable organizations. Mr. Speaker. this provision will provide much needed fiscal relief to the states and to unemployed individuals. Although this fix is for 6 months. I am committed to working with my colleagues to deliver a permanent fix for our nations physicians. and I am committed to fight for critical jobcreating measures. on behalf of all of the American people and to strengthen our economy. as well as such vital provisions as extending unemployment benefits for the millions who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. We must uphold our responsibility to the seniors and persons with disabilities who depend upon the Medicare program and the military families who depend upon the TRICARE program. The 21 percent cut in fees that physicians are seeing now is jeopardizing the relationship between Medicare and TRICARE patients and their doctors. and we cannot allow that to stand. This is a matter of whether seniors will have access to care or whether that access to care will be diminished because doctors will no longer be able to afford to continue to sustain their businesses with the cuts under the SGR for Medicare. That is why I support passage of this legislation. Over the months we struggled with Republicans over this issue. I continuously spoke to doctors in my district to say. I would not forget this important issue. I worked with the leadership. voted for a permanent fix and continued to call on the Senate to move this bill. Now we have a temporary fix of 6 months. However. I will work for a permanent fix with the Democratic leadership in spite of those of my Republican colleagues who oppose it. I believe in bipartisanship to help doctors and patients including seniors. get reimbursed and get the care they need. I support this legislation.