WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier today, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) joined bipartisan committee leaders to unveil H.R. 2, legislation to permanently replace the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate and put in place Medicare reforms to promote quality care for seniors. Full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA) applauded the agreement, amplifying the chorus of support for this important legislation. Learn more about the committee’s multi-year effort to permanently resolve the SGR here.
Full Committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN):
“Nearly everyone knows someone who has found it very difficult to find a doctor who is taking new Medicare patients. In addition, current Medicare patients are finding it difficult to find a specialist who will take Medicare.
“This access problem has occurred, in part, because of a budget gimmick - the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate). The intent of SGR was to control costs in Medicare spending. SGR did not achieve that goal and one of the unintended consequences of SGR was to make the reimbursement of healthcare providers very unpredictable. As a result, many providers decided to limit their Medicare practices.
“H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, will finally eliminate the flawed SGR. It will be replaced with common sense legislation, which will provide healthcare providers with the predictability to run their practices and care for seniors on Medicare.
“This legislation will provide actual, structural entitlement reform by changing the way healthcare providers are paid. Everyone agrees that healthcare reimbursement should encourage quality and coordination of care, rather than volume. This legislation is the right move in that direction.
“It is a win-win-win for seniors, your local healthcare providers, and hard-working taxpayers."
Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA):
“After significant negotiations, we have reached an agreement on a package to replace the failed Sustainable Growth rate. This puts an end to a well-intentioned but poorly designed policy that threatened seniors’ access to Medicare.
“Over the preceding weeks, I’ve spoken with a number of my colleagues about the importance of doing a permanent doc fix now. I think we have built a strong, bipartisan coalition that will pass the bill later this week.
“There is a lot for conservatives to like here: no tax increases, real entitlement reform and real savings over the long term. This isn’t reform that fixes all of Medicare’s problems, but it does make the program’s finances more clear. This agreement should help build trust and motivate us to go further to strengthen and save Medicare."
