Don't cut access to doctors

For millions of older Floridians, access to quality health care matters. So naturally, older Floridians take seriously anything that could put access to their family doctors at risk.

That's why Congress should act soon to resolve a recurring potential 21.5-percent reduction to Medicare reimbursements for Florida doctors and to support the high-quality care that older Floridians deserve.

AARP and the Florida Academy of Family Physicians share strong concerns that if such a large reduction in physician reimbursements are put into place, many Florida Medicare beneficiaries would be unable to get access to the high-quality care they need.

For years, the Florida Academy of Family Physicians and AARP have been urging members of Congress to ensure that doctors are paid fairly for the work they do. Medicare's system of physician reimbursement should promote the value and quality of medical services that nearly 3.2 million Florida Medicare beneficiaries deserve.

Previous efforts have come up short. Medicare uses something called a sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula to pay doctors. It's designed to keep Medicare spending for physician services in line with an overall target. However, since 2001 actual spending on physician services has exceeded the SGR target, thereby triggering plans to reduce doctor payments.

AARP believes the SGR formula is flawed. The formula has acted to block innovation that could reward doctors for the quality of care they provide. Worse, Congress has put off finding solutions, instead overriding scheduled reductions in payments to physicians. Rather than finding long-term solutions, Congress has resorted to quick fixes, with each fix only increasing the size of future cuts.

Congress appears poised to enact a temporary fix again, taking only limited action to avert a 21.5-percent reduction in reimbursements. That's no solution.

Admittedly, it's a tough problem. Elected leaders are working under a heavy burden caused by past failures to address the issue squarely. But as difficult as this issue is, it is important to remember the millions of older Floridians who rely on Medicare for vital health services and the doctors who care for them.

Older Floridians already have been battered by an historic economic recession, their savings devastated by market turmoil. A new AARP report finds drug costs rose almost 10 percent between March 2009 and March 2010, the biggest spike in 10 years. Millions struggle to make ends meet.

Now is no time for older Floridians to face the added worry of whether they'll be able to see their doctor. As advocates for older Floridians who are both the patients of Florida family physicians and members of AARP, we urge Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. George LeMieux to act as soon as possible on a longer-lasting solution.