AMA statement on bipartisan Medicare reform effort

Statement attributable to:
Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH
President, American Medical Association

"Medicare physician payment is broken, and patients are paying the price. With a 33% inflation-adjusted cut (PDF) to Medicare physician payment since 2001, too many physician practices are struggling to keep their doors open and care for Medicare patients.

"The AMA commends the bipartisan leadership of the GOP and Democratic Doctors Caucuses for proposing solutions to stabilize physician payment and protect access to care. The AMA and more than 120 state and specialty societies have advanced a comprehensive framework for reform through their Characteristics of a Rational Medicare Payment System (PDF), which outlines the key elements of a sustainable, predictable payment system.

"We look forward to reviewing the legislation and working with Congress to deliver the long-term Medicare payment reforms that patients and physicians urgently need."