SBCMS News/Media

CMA leaders meet with Congress on Capitol Hill before election recess

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California Medical Association (CMA) physician leaders were in Washington, D.C., for the last week of the Congressional session, reminding California legislators about priority physician issues, such as the repeal of the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and adoption of long-term Medicare payment reform.

Congress has scheduled a very short lame duck session following the November election during which leadership on both sides hopes to come to an agreement on a spending bill to keep the government running.

Earlier this year, both houses of Congress were very close to a permanent repeal of the badly broken SGR formula. Unfortunately, they were unable to agree on how to fund the repeal, even though the cost to do so was dramatically lower than in previous years.

Unable to come to an agreement on how to fund the repeal, Congress passed a patch to stop the SGR-triggered payment cuts for the 17th time in 10 years. The patch is due to expire on April 1, 2015.

In addition to the SGR, CMA leadership asked that California Members of Congress continue the Medicaid primary care rate increase to Medicare levels after it expires on January 1, 2015, and reauthorize the Healthy Families program, which expires in the fall of 2015.

The CMA physicians also met with Sean Cavanaugh, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about the proposed Medicare 2015 Physician Payment Rule. During the meeting, CMA focused on the implementation of the problematic Value Based Modifier, which directs CMS to reward and penalize physicians based on their efficiency and quality reporting. CMA urged CMS to reduce the penalties and change the program to ensure that it does not prevent physicians from treating the poorest, sickest elderly patients or force physicians out of the program altogether.