The AARP, which allied with the American Medical Association to
push for the $247 billion bill to prevent scheduled cuts to
doctor's payments, also expressed disappointment at today's
failed cloture vote:
“On behalf of our 40 million members, AARP is
deeply disappointed that legislation to preserve seniors’
access to their doctors was blocked in the U.S. Senate today,
proving once again Washington lawmakers would rather play
political games than protect the needs of
seniors.
“The Senate’s failure to fix the flawed doctor
payment system means that payment rates for doctors in Medicare
could be cut by 21.5 percent in just a few months.
Short-term patches to preserve physician pay make the access
problem worse by undermining doctors’ confidence in the
Medicare program.
“AARP supported this bill because it would
have given Medicare patients the certainty they deserve in
knowing that access to their doctors would be preserved.
Despite today’s setback, AARP will keep fighting for a
legislative solution that will protect seniors’ access to their
doctors and ensure they can get the care they need to stay
healthy.”
