June 02, 2009
Alert: Contact your U.S. Senator to oppose a Medicare-based public plan option
Dear Colleague:
I am asking each and every ASA member to contact his or her U.S. Senator to oppose a Medicare-based public plan option as part of health system reform.
Please use CapWiz to send an e-mail to your Senators, or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the offices of your U.S. Senators.
CapWiz link: http://capwiz.com/asa/issues/alert/?alertid=13441936&type=CO
(Editable sample letters are provided at this link.)
As you will recall, for the past several months ASA has been closely following developments in the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration regarding health system reform. I previously informed you that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a number of options for delivery reform, insurance coverage and financing. One of their recently-released options papers includes a public plan based on Medicare payment rates. As envisioned by the option paper, the public plan would compete against commercial insurance plans for beneficiaries. Just this week, documents leaked from the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) suggest that the committee may move forward with a Medicare-based public plan option. Both committees are reported to be considering mandatory physician participation in the public plan option.
While it remains unclear whether a Congress-wide consensus has developed on a Medicare-based public option plan, it is clear that this model has strong support among some Senators, further heightening our concern about this option.
While ASA as an organization remains open to a wide range of options for health reform, we simply cannot support a public plan option based upon Medicare. Our message has been clear and consistent from the beginning of the reform debate:
Any public plan option considered by Congress must NOT be based on Medicare’s unacceptably low payments. As it stands, Medicare pays 33% of what private insurers pay for anesthesia services (according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office – GAO) and significantly discounts payments for pain services. An extension of this broken payment system would severely damage our specialty.
Further, physicians should be able to voluntarily participate should a public plan be established.
Please contact your Senators urging them to reject any public plan option based on Medicare, and to allow physicians to voluntarily participate. Your action is particularly timely and necessary because Senate committee action is expected in mid-June.
Your ASA Washington Office staff is available to answer questions or provide additional information. You can reach the office at (202) 289-2222.
Sincerely,
Roger A. Moore, M.D.
President
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