Sample Health Care Reform Letter to Send Senators

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Dear Senator ______________:

As a constituent and vascular surgeon who provides care to a large number of Medicare beneficiaries in your state, I believe the health care system needs reform that will enhance quality and efficiency, bringing real and lasting benefits to both patients and providers. I want to bring to your attention my concerns about the following issues regarding the Senate version of the health care reform bill.

Meaningful health care reform must provide a permanent "fix" for the fatally flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. Providing only a one or two year adjustment for the SGR is inadequate. I support reforming the SGR formula and completely eliminating any projected deficits as the House has done in H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Care Choice Act of 2009. If physicians are reimbursed fairly for their services, they will not be forced to stop participating in Medicare or stop accepting new Medicare patients.

Congress should not give up its health care responsibilities by giving the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission more power. Medicare payment policy requires a broad and thorough analysis of issues that affect both providers and beneficiaries. Leaving decisions in the hands of a small, unelected, unaccountable government body with minimal Congressional input will have a negative impact on the availability of quality, efficient health care.

The Senate should not include non-invasive vascular ultrasound studies if there are cuts to imaging services. Vascular ultrasound labs were particularly hit hard by cuts in the Deficit Reduction Act; some office-based vascular labs were forced to close, particularly in rural and underserved areas, creating access problems for Medicare patients. Also important, ultrasound has never been the subject of any over-utilization report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or Congress.

The Senate should support eliminating the barriers to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. This can be done by unlinking AAA screening with the Welcome to Medicare Physical Exam, making the one-time screening available to at-risk Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 to 75 and as provided in H.R. 3200, eliminating the co-pay. This would align the legislation with the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

I would appreciate your consideration of my concerns as the Senate continues to create its version of health care reform and would be happy to provide any additional information on vascular surgery.

Sincerely...

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