Joint Statement from the OSMA and AARP Ohio on the Impending Medicare Meltdown

Richard R. Ellison, MD, president of the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA), and Joanne Limbach, state president for AARP Ohio, issued the following joint statement today concerning the flawed Medicare payment formula, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, and its impact on health care delivery and access to care for Ohio’s seniors.

“More than 10 years ago, Congress created a flawed system to reimburse Medicare physicians and they’ve been unable to agree on a permanent solution ever since.

Now, after another year of band-aid solutions, Congress has less than a month to stop a 25 percent cut in Medicare physician fees. Such a drastic cut would mean an unsustainable reality for physician practices and cause seniors to lose their access to their doctors.

Future generations could face having to give up the doctors they trust. All because of the inability of Congress to fix a flawed system it created.

That’s why AARP Ohio and the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) oppose this cut. We are committed to fighting to prevent seniors from losing their doctors. We’ve both surveyed our members and they believe Congress has a responsibility to keep physicians in the Medicare program by providing them with a stable payment system.

With time running out, AARP and OSMA are calling on Congress to follow through with a pending agreement to avert the scheduled cut before Jan.1 and give seniors and the physicians who care for them some stability by stopping the cut for one year. This should give ample time for the new Congress to put past differences aside and find a permanent solution that will protect seniors’ access to doctors for the long- term.

AARP and OSMA will be watching Congress and holding lawmakers accountable for creating a stable payment system that gives seniors the peace of mind that they’ll be able to continue to see their doctors.”

Watch video from the OSMA/AARP Ohio joint news conference:

Photos from the OSMA/AARP Ohio joint news conference:

Coverage of the OSMA - AARP Ohio news conference:

The Columbus Dispatch - 12/8/10/ - "Medicare rate debate irks doctors, patients"

The Cincinnati Business Courier - 12/7/10 - "Medicare cuts get another stay of execution"

Public News Service - 12/7/10 - "OH Docs Survey Hints at Medicare Meltdown"

More information, including a video from OSMA President Richard R. Ellison, MD, as well as an OSMA survey on the impact of the flawed SGR, is available at www.osma.org/sgr.