URGENT! HEALTHCARE REFORM IS REAL AND FAST APPROACHING: MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT NOW
May 26, 2009
Federal health care reform legislation is taking shape quickly. President Obama’s honeymoon period has wound down without a consensus in either Congress or the Administration on how we are going to take care of impossibly high spending on health care and of the 47 million uninsured. The urgency of solutions – and they will involve major changes – is beyond question, however.
June and July will be prime time for the anesthesia community to make our views and concerns understood. That was the resounding message delivered at two recent key meetings: the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Legislative Conference held in Washington D.C. on May 4-6 and the annual meeting of the MGMA – Anesthesia Administration Assembly (AAA) held in Miami May 17-20.
ABC is going to support the effort to ensure the survival of anesthesiology and nurse anesthesia practice with our own funds and sweat equity. The threat and the opportunity are real and immediate.
You, the anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists and administrators, are going to be your own best advocates, as always. It is not just dollars that drive Washington; votes are the quest of every politician who wants to obtain or retain power, and each vote belongs to an individual citizen.
That is why both ASA and the AAA have emphatically and urgently called their members to action. For the benefit of those who did not participate in the conferences, we repeat here the most critical of the messages that every anesthesiologist should be taking to his or her Senators and Member of Congress:
- Any proposal that would base Medicare payments to physicians on the current Fee Schedule must give anesthesiology parity with other specialties. Even with the 32% increase in the valuation of “anesthesia work” that resulted in a relatively large update to the anesthesia conversion factor in 2008, Medicare still pays about 30% of private health plan rates for anesthesia services. In contrast, Medicare covers about 80% of private rates for other physician services.
One of the payment reform options that Congress is considering is known as the “public plan option” – a potential new government plan to compete with commercial insurance, which may be based on Medicare payment levels. As stated by ASA President Roger Moore, M.D. in his “Dear Colleague” letter of May 19, 2009, “This should remain our consistent message: should Congress decide to pursue a public plan option, it must not be built upon the unsound foundation of the Medicare program.”
- Across the board, Medicare payments for physician services are scheduled to drop by an astounding 21% in January 2010 because of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The SGR must be scrapped once and for all. Medicare must compensate physicians in a way that reflects the real costs of practice.
For further information, please explore the many documents available at http://www.ASAhq.org. ASA will also continue to be your principal source for the how-to of working as a citizen-lobbyist. (ABC’s goal in writing to you today is to remind all of our clients and friends in the community that the impact of health care reform on this specialty depends on you, individually, and that you should take your lead from ASA. We will be funding and taking direct action as soon as we determine the best approach.)
In Miami, the AAA Legislative Liaison to ASA, Cynthia Roehr, did such a good job of simplifying what the two organizations are asking their members to do that her words bear repeating here. “Make sure [your legislators] understand that expanding care at government rates will devastate the anesthesia profession. You can each add your own story on how that will impact your ability to recruit and retain professionals,” Cindy wrote in a follow-up message to the AAA on-line community. Point-by-point, she advised:
Calling a Member of Congress is really simple…. When the staff answers, identify yourself (and tell where you live so they know you are a constituent) and tell them your position (so that they know you are calling about health care.) If the Senator is busy, ask to speak with someone on their health care staff - their staff probably will listen better and be of more assistance than the Senator - so don't be miffed if that's who you speak with! I consider it a very good thing when I get the staff person.
The Senate Finance Committee, both ASA and AAA tell us, is the most important group of legislators currently working on multiple health care reform ideas. You will have the biggest impact if one of your home state Senators is on the Finance Committee and you can get your ideas in front of that senator. Below is the list of Finance Committee members with their Washington D.C. office contact information:
Baucus (Montana)
511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2651
Web Form: baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Rockefeller (West Virginia)
531 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: rockefeller.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Conrad (North Dakota)
530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2043
Web Form: conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm
Bingaman (New Mexico)
703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5521
Web Form: bingaman.senate.gov/contact/
Kerry (Massachusetts)
218 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2742
Web Form: kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Lincoln (Arkansas)
355 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4843
Web Form: lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Wyden (Oregon)
223 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5244
Web Form: wyden.senate.gov/contact/
Schumer (New York)
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm
Stabenow (Michigan)
133 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4822
Web Form: stabenow.senate.gov/email.cfm
Cantwell (Washington)
511 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3441
Web Form: cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
Nelson (Florida)
716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5274
Web Form: billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Menendez (New Jersey)
528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
Web Form: menendez.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Carper (Delaware)
513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2441
Web Form: carper.senate.gov/contact/
Grassley (Iowa)
135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3744
Web Form: grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Hatch (Utah)
104 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5251
Web Form: hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Cont...
Snowe (Maine)
154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5344
Web Form: snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenat...
Kyl (Arizona)
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4521
Web Form: kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Bunning (Kentucky)
316 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4343
Web Form: bunning.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Co...
Crapo (Idaho)
239 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6142
Web Form: crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Roberts (Kansas)
109 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4774
Web Form: roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInf...
Ensign (Nevada)
119 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6244
Web Form: ensign.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...
Enzi (Wyoming)
379A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3424
Web Form: enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInform...
Cornyn (Texas)
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2934
Web Form: cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...
Even if neither of your Senators is on the Finance Committee, you should certainly make similar calls to both of them, as well as to your Member of Congress!
We hope that you enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday.
Sincerely,
Tony Mira
President and CEO
