July 17, 2009
ASA diverges from AMA over support of H.R. 3200
ASA President Roger A. Moore, M.D., has issued the following statement clarifying ASA’s stance on H.R. 3200, in response to announcements that other health care organizations support the bill:
“ASA members may be confused by a request for support of H.R. 3200 by other medical associations, including most recently the AMA. ASA CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT THE BILL IN ITS CURRENT FORM. Members are strongly encouraged NOT to respond to AMA’s request to support H.R. 3200. The bill, the ‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,’ includes a public plan option based upon Medicare payment rates for anesthesia services. A Medicare rate-based public plan would be detrimental to the medical specialty of anesthesiology.
“ASA has consistently urged lawmakers to address anesthesiology’s ‘33 percent problem’: the fact that Medicare pays 33 percent of what private insurers pay for anesthesia services (while Medicare pays an average of 80 percent of what private insurers pay for most other medical specialties). This 33 percent payment level simply does not reflect the costs of providing anesthesiology medical care. As such, Congress must not use this payment level as a model for any health care plan.
“We acknowledge that there are many laudable provisions included in H.R. 3200. Still, many issues remain unresolved, and questions linger about how various provisions would impact anesthesiology. We must remember that there is no other organization involved in the reform debate that is speaking for anesthesiology. In fact, some groups are actively lobbying for provisions that would harm our specialty. Anesthesiologists’ shared voice is the only way to ensure that the important and unique concerns of our specialty, our practices and our patients are heard in the halls of Congress.
“We need your assistance to communicate our specialty’s message to lawmakers. Through the din of outside groups carrying their own message, it is critical that our voices be heard. Please take this opportunity to be proactive, and reach out to your Representative about H.R. 3200. Explain anesthesiology’s unique Medicare payment problem. Encourage your Representative to support amendments to H.R. 3200 that would eliminate Medicare rates as the basis for payments for anesthesiology services under a public plan option. Help us be part of the solution.
“Congress is rapidly moving forward with its aggressive timeline to pass comprehensive health reform legislation by October. The House Ways and Means Committee has adopted H.R. 3200 (by a 23-18 vote, with three Democrats voting against the measure), and the Senate HELP Committee adopted a bill earlier this week. Still, much work remains in the health care reform effort. We understand that there is a major push underway in the House Energy and Commerce committee to modify the legislation. And, the Senate Finance Committee has yet to release its version of reform legislation. All of this must occur before legislation can be considered by the full House and Senate. In other words, there is still a long road ahead.
“I encourage you to take every opportunity to stay informed and engaged. Please be assured that ASA remains heavily involved in the process on your behalf.”