Kill the Medicare SGR-Monster Initiative
Overview: On 24 June 2010 the Congress took those actions that were necessary to stop the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) driven 21% cut to Medicare physician payments. This action stopped the cuts that were scheduled to start on 1 June 2010 and increased Medicare physician payments by 2.2 percent to the end of November 2010. The new law also allowed for re-processing of claims which were paid at the 21% reduced rate before the law took affect. However, the 21% cut to Medicare physician payments has not been eliminated it has simply been delay until 1 December 2010. Unless the Congress acts in a timely manner to fix the flawed SGR formula then we are back at square one and the cuts will continue to grow. The military retiree community must work together as a lobbying team and insist that our Representatives come up with a long-term solution to this Medicare SGR-Monster. We can not sit idly by and hope for the best. If we do so we will surely lose our hard earned Medicare/Tricare for Life. We must go to work now.

Project Goal: The "Kill the Medicare SGR-Monster" initiative is designed to remind our Representatives that the 21% cut to Medicare physician payments must be corrected. Please send your Representatives a short message like the example messages that follow. Send your message at reasonable intervals until you get a satisfactory response. Be sure to include the number of days remaining before the Congress must act to Kill the Medicare SGR-Monster. A calender showing the number of days remaining before the Congress must act follows below the example messages.
Contact Information: Contact your Representatives at: http://capwiz.com/moaa/officials/congress/

Then tell us that you did at: http://mrgrg-ms.org/educate-the-congress.html

Example messages:
Robert Smoak, Sr. - reminder message:
 
Today is July 10.  In 143 days I must once again face the uncertainty of
the Medicare SGR Monster formula that for years has incorrectly determined
the payment amount for doctors who treat Medicare patients. Congress has
refused to correct this formula since it became a problem in 2002. The 2nd
Session, 111th Congress has been the worst so far with its numerous
extensions, usually at the last minute.  I encourage you to introduce
whatever legislation is necessary that once and for all times will kill
the SGR monster.

About 45 million Medicare patients, INCLUDING 3+ MILLION MILITARY RETIREES,
had to worry each time the deadline arrived for a reduction in doctors
payments.  Our TriCare for Life coverage is dependent upon Medicare since
Medicare is the first payer, then TriCare pays.  The MILITARY RETIREES
especially will be wondering if we will lose access to our Doctors and our
promised medical care if we made a career of the military.  This is a
promise that we should be able to rely upon after giving  20 or more years
of faithful military service, long hours, family separations, and a life
that is much more stringent than those who have not had to serve this
country.

I am tired of reading that DOD and other government agencies say that
civilians do not have the luxury of medical care as cheap as ours with
premiums that never go up!  We earned it, and were promised it, by living
a military style life for 20 or more years!!

Because of Congress' previous failures to act in a timely manner, Doctors
have already started refusing new Medicare patients and some Doctors have
stopped seeing their current Medicare/TriCare for Life patients.  Some
Doctors have already decided to stop fighting the Medicare cost cutting
provisions and have closed their practice.

Jim Ret - reminder message: #1:
 
In a little more than ===> xxx <=== days I must once again face the Medicare SGR Monster.
I encourage you and your staff to introduce that legislation  which is necessary to kill the SGR
monster such that it will not adversely affect appropriately 45 other million Medicare recipients
(which includes 3+ million military retirees and dependents). Please don't cause us to  have
to sweat it out again at the end of next November wondering if we  will lose access to our
Doctors and our medical care.

Jim Ret - reminder message: #2. To: Vice President:

I have approximately 143 more days before I must once again face the
Medicare SGR Monster. I encourage you urge congress to introduce
legislation which is necessary to kill the SGR monster so that it will not
fail me and approximately 45 million other Medicare recipients (which
includes 3plus million military retirees and their dependents) . Please
don't cause us the uncertainty of keeping our doctors and reducing us to
already overcrowded emergency rooms or an earlier than anticipated death.

Charles Revie - reminder message: 
Today is July 4, We have ==> xxx <== days remaining before we must once 
again face the Medicare SGR Monster that Congress has refused to correct 
since it became a problem in 2002. The 2nd Session, 111th Congress, has 
been the worst so far with its piddle diddle extensions.  I encourage 
you to introduce legislation which will kill the SGR monster once and 
for all. Appropriately 45 million Medicare recipients (including 3 million
plus military retirees and dependents) depend on Medicare. Please don't 
cause us to sweat it out again at the end of next November wondering if we
will lose access to our Doctors and our medical care.  Because of Congress'
previous failures to act physicians are already refusing Medicare and Tricare
patients.

Floyd Sears - reminder message:
This message is not meant to
annoy you. I am simply asking
you to be aware that in xxx days
we will once again face the
Medicare SGR Monster that
takes big bites out of payments
to Medicare physician.

I am also asking you to be aware that
approximately 45 million Medicare
recipients, which include 3+ million
military retirees and dependents
depend on Medicare/TFL. Military
retirees have been cheated out of
contractually promised medical care
once. In the name of all that is right
and decent don't let the greatest
military retiree swindle of all time
happen again. Details provided on
demand.

I encourage you and your staff to
introduce legislation which will kill
the SGR monster. Don’t cause
us to sweat it out again at the end
of next November wondering if the
Medicare SGR Monster will cause
us to lose access to our Doctors
and our medical care.

Please introduce or cosponsor
legislation that will correct this SGR
problem before 1 December 2010.
C-Day Count Down.
(C-Day = the day that cuts in payments to Medicare Doctors starts again)
SEPT





Sun
 Mon
 Tue
 Wed
 Thur
 Fri
 Sat



1--90
 2--89
 3--88
 4--87
5--86
 6--85
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12--79
 13--78
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 18--73
19--72
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26--65
 27--64
 28--63
 29--62
 30--61


OCT





Sun
 Mon
 Tue
 Wed
 Thur
 Fri
 Sat





1--60
 2--59
3--58
 4--57
 5--56
 6--55
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10--51
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 13--48
 14--47
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17--44
 18--43
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 21--40
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 23--38
24--37
 25--36
 26--35
 27--34
 28--33
 29--32
 30--31
31--30






NOV





Sun
 Mon
 Tue
 Wed
 Thur
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 Sat

1--29
 2--28
 3--27
 4--26
 5--25
 6--24
7--23
 8--22
 9--21
 10--20
 11--19
 12--18
 13--17
14--16
 15--15
 16--14
 17--13
 18--12
 19--11
 20--10
21--9
 22--8
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 24--6
 25--5
 26--4
 27--3
28--2
 29--1
 30--0




Kill the Medicare SGR-Monster - Letters to the editor:

How many can survive a 21 percent slash in income?

Published by The Sun Herald - 29 July 2010
http://www.sunherald.com/2010/07/28/2365298/july-29-letters-to-the-editor.html

Many senior citizens who depend on Medicare for their very survival don’t know that the Medicare they worked for all of their lives to earn is facing an uncertain future.

Across America, many doctors have made the difficult decision to reassess their willingness to treat Medicare patients. Some have decided to turn away new Medicare patients, while others have dropped Medicare patients altogether. Their decisions are due, in large part, to decreasing Medicare reimbursement rates.

med-21-cut

Why is this happening? Medicare law specifies a formula for calculating the annual update in payments for doctor’s services, which is based on the annual percentage change in the gross domestic product. Beginning in 2002, this formula resulted in cuts to doctor payments instead of increases. As of June 1, doctors were facing a cumulative cut of 21 percent.

On June 7, seven days after the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments started, the Senate began consideration of a bill that could have stopped the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments. On June 18 the Senate was able to pass a six-month extension to prevent the cuts. On June 24, after some House delays, the Medicare fix was passed and signed into law. This extension replaced the pending Medicare cuts with a 2.2 percent increase in reimbursements until Nov. 30. This short-term fix is retroactive, so those doctors who have already received reductions in payments will be reimbursed.

However, it should be remembered that the 21 percent cut to Medicare doctor reimbursement has not been eliminated; it has simply been delayed until
Dec. 1. Unless Congress acts in a timely manner to fix the flawed formula then we are back at square one and the cuts will continue to grow.

FLOYD SEARS

Biloxi fsears@bellsouth.net


July 31, 2010

Does Congress Support Seniors, Military Retirees and Doctors when it comes to Health Care?

Jim Berrey says,

I'm writing this letter because I know that many of our senior citizens that depend on Medicare for their very survival don't know that the Medicare they worked for all of their lives to earn is facing an uncertain future. This letter attempts to explain why.

Across the USA, many Doctors have made the difficult decision to reassess their willingness to treat Medicare patients. Some have decided to turn away new Medicare patients, while others have dropped Medicare patients altogether. Their decisions are due, in large part, to decreasing Medicare reimbursement rates.

So, why is all of this happening? Medicare law specifies a formula for calculating the annual update in payments for Doctor's services, which is based upon the annual percentage change in the gross domestic product. Beginning in 2002, this formula, called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), resulted in updates that were actually cuts to Doctor payments instead of increases. As of 1 June, Doctors were facing a cumulative reimbursement cut of 21 percent.

On 7 June, seven days after the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments started, the Senate began consideration of a bill that could have stopped the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments. On 18 June the Senate was able to pass a six month extension to the SGR to prevent the cuts. On 24 June, after some House delays, the Medicare fix was passed and signed into law. This extension replaced the pending Medicare cuts with a 2.2 percent increase in reimbursements, until 30 November. This short-term fix is retroactive, so those Doctors who have already received reductions in payments will be reimbursed.

However, it should be remembered that the 21 percent cut to Medicare Doctor reimbursement has not been eliminated. It has simply been delay until 1 December. Unless the Congress acts in a timely manner to fix the flawed SGR formula then we are back at square one and the cuts will continue to grow.

It is noted Congress delayed any positive or negative action until after the General Election November 2, 2010. Hope for the best and expect the worse. All seniors, military retirees and those who soon plan to sign up for Medicare better contact their Congressional members and all candidates running for the House of Representives or the Senate for their position on correcting this problem before you vote.

Posted at 07:12 AM


Published in the Goldsboro, NC, “News Argus” on August 11, 2010.

August 9, 2010

Flawed Medicare Formula requires sustainable solution

Letter to the Editor,

I am writing this letter because I know that many of our senior citizens that depend on Medicare for their very survival do not know that the Medicare they worked for all of their lives to earn is facing an uncertain future. This letter attempts to explain why.

Across the USA, many Doctors have made the difficult decision to reassess their willingness to treat Medicare patients. Some have decided to turn away new Medicare patients, while others have dropped Medicare patients altogether. Their decisions are due, in large part, to decreasing Medicare reimbursement rates.

So, why is this happening? Medicare law specifies a formula for calculating the annual update in payments for Doctor's services, which is based upon the annual percentage change in the gross domestic product. Beginning in 2002, this formula, called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), resulted in updates that were actually cuts to Doctor payments instead of increases. As of 1 June, Doctors were facing a cumulative reimbursement cut of 21 percent.

On 7 June, seven days after the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments started, the Senate began consideration of a bill that could have stopped the 21 percent cut to Medicare payments. On 18 June, the Senate was able to pass a six-month extension to the SGR to prevent the cuts. On 24 June, after some House delays, the Medicare fix was passed and signed into law. This extension replaced the pending Medicare cuts with a 2.2 percent increase in reimbursements, until 30 November. This short-term fix is retroactive, so those Doctors who have already received reductions in payments will be reimbursed.

Remember that the 21 percent cut to Medicare Doctor Reimbursement now begins on 1 December. Unless the Congress acts in a timely manner to fix the flawed SGR formula then we are back at square one and the cuts will continue to grow.

Note that Congress delayed any positive or negative action until after the General Election November 2, 2010. Hope for the best and expect the worse. All seniors, military retirees and those who soon plan to sign up for Medicare better contact their Congressional members and all candidates running for the House of Representatives or the Senate for their position on correcting this problem before you vote.

Ned Petrak

Goldsboro, NC

 


13.