Supercommittee Fails; Only a Few Weeks to Fix SGR
November 21, 2011
Members of the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to come to an agreement on how to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the nation’s budget. Because of the committee’s failure to approve a legislative package by the November 23 deadline, sequestration will begin January 1, 2013, cutting all government spending including 2 percent from Medicare, unless modifications are made by Congress.
The ACR, along with state and specialty medical societies and the AMA, had pushed the supercommittee to include a permanent solution to the SGR in their final package. With the collapse of the supercommittee, lawmakers now have only a few short weeks to avert a 27 percent cut to Medicare reimbursements scheduled to begin January 1, 2012.
Ensuring the stability of the Medicare program and patients’ access to quality care should be priority number one for legislators. We must keep Congress focused on averting the upcoming 27 percent cut, which would have a devastating effect on the rheumatology community.
Contact your members of Congress using the ACR’s legislative action center or the AMA’s grassroots hotline at (800) 833-6354, and tell them to ensure Medicare patients’ access to rheumatologists.
Get your patients involved! Download
a Medicare flier or
a Medicare poster for your waiting area to help make their voice heard.
