Medicine: Use War Money for Medicare
TMA joined the American Medical Association and dozens of other state and national medical organizations in urging Congress to permanently stop the fiscally irresponsible cycle of scheduled cuts and short-term patches to the Medicare physician payment system. Read more.
Medicare Meltdown Forcing Physicians Out
Facing either a freeze in Medicare payments or cuts of 27.4 percent, almost half of Texas physicians are considering opting out of the Medicare program altogether, putting seniors, military families, and people with disabilities at serious risk of losing their doctor, a Texas Medical Association survey [PDF] shows.
Fact Sheet: Medicare Meltdown Redux
NEW VIDEO: Grandma and the Big Bad SGR!
To illustrate the impact Medicare fee cuts could have on patients in terms even a child can understand, TMA produced the "Grandma and the Big, Bad SGR" video. Feel free to share the video with your members of Congress, colleagues, friends, family, patients, and staff.
Take Action Today
Use the TMA Grassroots Action Center to send a strong message to U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison your U.S. representative. Ask to replace the broken Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula before pouring more money into other Medicare providers' payments.
For the past decade, Congress has recognized the value that hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, durable medical equipment, and other health care professionals provide Medicare patients. They all have received annual payment updates. Physicians should, too. Before any future updates are given, Washington needs to fix the broken physician payment system.
Engage Your Patients
Get your patients involved. TMA has a new blog called, MeAndMy Doctor.com. It's a place where physicians and their patients can have a candid and honest discussion about today's health care system. Tell your patient to click on the "Stop Medicare Meltdown" box for a prewritten message they can send to Congress.
Medicare Meltdown Video
TMA President, C. Bruce Malone, MD explains why Medicare is broken. Please take a few minutes to watch the new video. Share it with your patients and friends. It does an excellent job of simplfying the SGR issue.
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News Coverage
- TMA Survey: Physicians Confused and Anxious
- Congress Heads Home With a Lump of Coal for Medicare Patients
- Quit Playing Politics With Medicare Patient’s Health
- Doctors Angry as Medicare Meltdown Looms
- Will Congress Deny Health Care to Military Families?
- Medicare Meltdown Forces Physicians Out of Medicare - TMA News Release, Oct. 6, 2011
- Deficit Cuts Must Include Medicare Reform - Action (July 5, 2011)
- TMA: Congress Stopped the Bleeding but Medicare’s Still on Life Support - TMA Statement, June 24, 2010
- Texas doctors opting out of Medicare at alarming rate, (Houston Chronicle, May 17, 2010)
- Congress Takes Vacation With Medicare Cuts Pending
- Physicians and Patients Unite Across the U.S. to Stop the Medicare Meltdown - TMA News Release
- Statewide news media coverage of Medicare Meltdown
- Congress Allows Medicare Meltdown to Happen - TMA News Release, Feb. 26, 2010
- Doctors both locally and nationally fearful of consequences of Medicare cuts - Waco Tribune-Herald, March 2, 2010
- CMS Delays Physician Pay Cut in Hopes that Congress Will Resolve Issue - HealthLeaders Media, March 1, 2010
- The House Puts Off the Medicare Pay Cut—Again - Newsweek, Feb. 26, 2010