Letter from Shelley Berkley to J. Dennis Hastert, November 30, 2006, regarding cuts for Medicare (1 page)

SHELLEY BERKLEY COMMITTEES: 1 ST DISTRICT, NEVADA INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE AND EMERGING THREATS 4 3 9 C A N N O N HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 2 0 5 1 5 ( 2 0 2 ) 2 2 5 - 5 9 6 5 FAX: ( 2 0 2 ) 2 2 5 - 3 1 1 9 Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515-2801 November 30, 2006 SUBCOMMITTEE ON MIDDLE EAST AND CENTRAL ASIA TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION shellev.berklev@mail.house.aov 2 3 4 0 PASEO DEL PRADO SUITE D 1 0 6 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 8 9 1 0 2 ( 7 0 2 ) 2 2 0 - 9 8 2 3 FAX: ( 7 0 2 ) 2 2 0 - 9 8 4 1 www.house.aov/berklev SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS, TRANSIT AND PIPELINES VETERANS' AFFAIRS RANKING MEMBER. SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS The Honorable J. Dermis Hastert Speaker CAUCUS TASK FORCES: CHAIR, TAX AND BUDGET TASK FORCE CO-CHAIR, GAMING CAUCUS CO-CHAIR, STOP DUI CAUCUS United States House of Representatives H232 United States Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515-1314 Dear Mr. Speaker: I wrote to you this past September urging Congressional action to protect Medicare beneficiaries from looming cuts. Without intervention, payment under the Medicare sustainable growth formula (SGR) for physician services and health care professionals will be cut by 5.1 percent as of January 1, 2007. The 109th Congress will soon end and I am very concerned that this serious problem has not been addressed. These cuts destabilize Medicare and put millions of Medicare beneficiaries?including the frail, elderly, and infirm?at risk of losing their coverage. If these cuts are not reversed before the end of this Congress, the 2007 Medicare physician rates will have fallen 20 percent below increases in physicians' costs since 2001. At the same time that Medicare payments go down, physician practice costs are increasing. The American Medical Association estimates that these costs will increase over 20 percent by 2015. These cuts are especially glaring when compared to other medical providers who have received consistent updates that keep pace with increasing costs. Hospital and nursing home payments are slated to continue to rise by more than 3 percent annually and payments to Medicare Advantage plans are estimated to increase by 7.1 percent in 2007. Continued uncertainty about Medicare reimbursements or a reduction in Medicare payments discourages physicians from entering specialties that primarily treat Medicare patients. Nevada's 273,448 Medicare beneficiaries comprised 11 percent of the state's population in 2005. Failing to adjust the physician reimbursement schedule restricts access to quality healthcare for those who need it most. I urge you to please schedule floor activity to address this critical issue and avert cuts to Medicare physician payments before the end of the 109th Congress. Thank you. Sincerely, cc: The Honorable John Boehner, Majority Leader SB:jd PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER