Medicare
AMA
Urges Congress to Repeal Medicare’s IPAB
In early March 2012, the AMA urged Congress to repeal Medicare’s Independent Payment
Advisory Board (IPAB). Both AMA and MSNJ objected to the establishment of IPAB
which was part of healthcare reform because it places significant healthcare
payment and policy decisions into a body that is not elected and accountable to
the public. The AMA and MSNJ believe that IPAB’s recommendations will result in
access to care issues for our seniors. Read AMA’s letter in its entirety. Read background on this initiative.
AMA
President Peter Carmel Puts the SGR Crisis in Context
MSNJ
is fortunate to have AMA’s President, Peter Carmel, MD, hard at work on
repealing Medicare’s flawed Medicare payment formula, the SGR. He has been
accessible to our members and given his time generously to explain the
background and the consequences of the SGR for physicians and our nation’s
seniors. Last week, he made a compelling presentation on the magnitude of the crisis to
MSNJ’s board of trustees.
MSNJ
Urges Support of Medicare Patient Empowerment Act
While
MSNJ will continue its efforts to convince Congress to repeal the Medicare SGR,
the fact that Congress has punted on that issue until after the election has
brought new urgency to our support of the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act,
H.R. 1700 and S. 1042. MSNJ was among a small number of state medical societies
that spearheaded an initiative that would allow Medicare patients to privately
contract with physicians, without giving up their rights to their Medicare
allowed payments to physicians. Having won the support of the AMA to go forward
on this legislation, we now join forces to generate public support to pass the
act. For details, read a summary
of the act and AMA’s
FAQ for physicians.
To educate
your patients, please download a flier for your office. Also direct them to AMA’s
short educational video and FAQ
for patients. You may want to make the video and FAQs available in your office. Ask
patients to visit www.MyMedicare-MyChoice.org
where they may sign a petition and read other educational material.