A Note from Congressman Carson

Statement

Dear Friend,

Our senior citizens are important members of our nation and our communities. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and their hard work helped build this great country. Unfortunately, Medicare, a program that nearly 50 million senior citizens rely on, may be in grave danger.

Medicare provides senior citizens access to quality health insurance. Without this important program, many of the individuals who contributed to the strength of our nation will be unable to access vital health care services when they need them most. This is simply unacceptable! We must commit to ensure that Medicare continues to be affordable and accessible. It is critical to find a permanent fix to the existing physician payment formula, the Sustainable Growth Rate. While this formula is complex, its impact is clear. If we fail to address this issue, physician payments will be cut and many Doctors may decide to stop seeing seniors covered by Medicare.

Members of both parties agree that so called "doc fixes", or short term corrections to the payment rate, are fundamentally flawed, and a permanent solution is necessary. This week, I was disappointed to see a bipartisan agreement within reach, only to have Republican leaders derail it by connecting it to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Holding the future of our senior's health hostage in order to push a political agenda is wrong. Congress has a responsibility to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and deserve. Rest assured as your representative, I will continuously fight to pass a permanent solution to fix the physician payment formula within the Medicare system.

As always, please feel free to call or email my office if there is anything I can do for you.

Regards,

André

Source