10% Medicare Cut Coming January 1st - Call Your Senators!

Your senators say they don’t know Texas physicians are upset about the pending 10-percent cut in Medicare payments. Senators say they don’t know what that cut will do to your patients and your practices.

Help us make sure that Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison get the message: We can’t stand any cuts, our patients can’t stand any cuts, and we expect them to do something about it.

We’re in the midst of the annual game of chicken that Congress plays with America’s physicians. The Senate Finance Committee is trying to find a way to avert the 10-percent cut that’s scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Some members of Congress say they can’t find a way to pay for it. You can send a suggestion to them through Senators Hutchison and Cornyn--Tell them Congress can reverse the cut by eliminating $65 billion in excess payments to insurance companies. Tell them physicians are tired of Medicare rewarding insurance companies for doing nothing — or worse yet, restricting needed care for patients. Tell them we should spend our Medicare dollars on providing health care to our patients.

Also, tell senators not to harm patient care by eliminating physicians’ ability to invest in hospitals or other healthcare facilities if they believe that can improve care. Tell them the focus should not be on who owns the medical facility — a physician, a nonprofit entity, or a for-profit company—but how that facility delivers patient care. If over-utilization or deviations from quality care are the issues, Congress should address those problems, regardless of ownership.

To call or fax Senators Cornyn and Hutchison directly, here are the numbers:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison:

• Capitol office phone: (202) 224-5922
• Capitol office fax: (202) 224-0776

Sen. John Cornyn:

• Capitol office phone: (202) 224-2934
• Capitol office fax: (202) 228-2856