Call Congress - Tell Them "No on H.R. 3961!"
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:58PM by aaps PLEASE REPORT YOUR CALL AND GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS IN THE "READER COMMENTS" AREA AT BOTTOM OF PAGE. THANK YOU!
ALSO, PLEASE CALL THE AMA AND TELL THEM
"Doctors -- please support PATIENTS, not AMA leadership.
NO on HR 3961!"
AMA main office in Chicago: (800) 621-8335 & CLICK HERE FOR AMA EMAIL ADDRESSES
HR 3961 - Doc Fix Bill NOT What the Doctor Ordered. Payoff to AMA for HR 3962 Endorsement?
Survey shows MONEY is not primary concern of doctors, but government interference is.
ACTION: Call Your House Member today & tomorrow.
Tell them "VOTE NO on Hr 3961! "We froze up the phones & killed it in the Senate last month. Do it again!
Find your representative's contact information here:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
Below is the AAPS statement on this bill:
Washington DC – (Nov 17) The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) called on the House of Representatives to defeat HR 3961, the so-called “Doc Fix” if it comes to a vote this week.
“This is NOT what the doctor ordered, despite that the AMA claims. It’s bad for doctors, seniors and taxpayers,” said Kathryn Serkes, Director of Policy and Public Affairs for AAPS and Take Back Medicine.
Doctors: “It may freeze the physician Medicare pay cuts for next year, but it’s a far shot from a permanent solution. It just trades one complicated federal formula for another, and still leaves physician pay subject to Congressional whim in the future.”
Patients: “Physicians are bailing out of Medicare at the rate of 25-33% percent. This does absolutely nothing to assure doctors that it is financially safe to start taking Medicare patients again. And common sense says the only way to offset more pay is to cut back on care.”
Taxpayers: “This is a blatant effort by House Democrats to shuffle money around so they can pretend that HR 3962, which passed last week, doesn’t increase the deficit.”
“This bait-and-switch tactic that was slapped down in the Senate last month,” said Serkes.
So why is it back in the House?
“Apparently, the House will first freeze the fees, and then will fix everything later in a new payment system.” said Jane Orient M.D., AAPS Executive Director. “Just trust them.”
Serkes notes that the doctor-pay bill was introduced just in time to secure an AMA endorsement for HR 3962, but then the House couldn’t find time to vote on it along with HR 3962 last week.
“Could it have something to do with the rebellion that needed to be quashed at the AMA meeting during the vote? Apparently the fix is in with the AMA, and the House is using the doc fix to keep the AMA in line.”
SURVEY SAYS – MONEY IS NOT THE ISSUE FOR DOCTORS
Physician pay isn’t even the primary reason that doctors are turning away new Medicare patients and restricting services, according to a new survey conducted by AAPS this summer and fall.
“The ‘hassle factor’ is a much stronger deterrent,” said Serkes, co-author of the survey which polled more than 1,200 physicians.
According the preliminary round of results tabulations, the number one reason for refusing new Medicare patients is “Billing and regulatory requirements, which was rated ‘extremely important’ or ‘important’ by 95% of respondents
The second reason: ‘Hassles and/or threats from Medicare carriers/government’ rated 91%.
‘Fees too low’ was in third place, with only an 81% rating.
“There’s no imaginable doc pay-fix that could offset the enormous increase in government interference in the day-to-day-practice of Medicine that would be created if Congress passes current healthcare reform bills that are on the table,” said Serkes.
“They can’t just throw doctors a bone – a few dollars – and expect them to fall in line for more government red tape and interference. We need reform that puts patients and doctors back in charge, not government and bureaucracy.”
JOINT LETTER FROM 16 ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING MILLIONS
OPPOSING HR 3961:
NOTE ON SURVEY:
Final results of the longitudinal survey “Physician Attitudes and Practices on Medicare” are expected to be released before the end of the year.
Reader Comments (18)
Congressman Snyder:
I am a physician practicing in Little Rock and a constituent of yours. I am writing to urge you to oppose HR 3961. This bill will not fix the enormous problems faced by the Medicare system. Respectfully,
Roger Hiatt, Jr., M.D.
I called the capitol switchboard at 1-877-851 6437 and asked for each of my representitives in turn and told the staff member Happy Thanksgiving and to please have my representitive to vote No on HR 3961, and gave my zip.
I recalled a peice of advice that if you wish people a Happy Holiday you sound less defeated and more like you believe in the possibilty that you have already won! And the people that recieve your call feel better too!
We may not win and then again we may. I think who ever told me this advice had learned a good bit! Maybe an upbeat morale is the key to sucess! I hope so! I dont think we should sound defeated already. I accually think that is where I have been going wrong in my communications with my reps!
Another peice of advice came from Ron Paul, which is emotionalism is unproductive and getting mad and shouting and acting out of control and upset really says the wrong things and shows the opposing side that we are going to loose becasue we are afraid and in termoil. I don't want them to think they have the upperhand -even if they do!
Maybe we should all call our representitives just to wish them a Happy Holiday season! Cause the people I said it too, when I finally thought of it, sounded as if they hadn't heard a nice word all day! Its very telling of the times! But if we can change that and act as if nothing is happening that we and the God in whom we trust cant handle then it can only do us good! Sorry about the double nagitive in use there. Bad habbit. So. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Pass it around! And all that good stuff!
Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11),
Stockton
2222 Grand Canal Blvd., Suite 7 Stockton, CA 95207 (209) 476-8552
Pleasanton
5776 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Suite 175 Pleasanton, CA 94588 (925) 737-0727
Washington D.C. Office
312 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-1947
Fax: (202) 225-4060
Left message that I was not going to support his reelection effort when he is able to vote for a bill (HR 3961) that will make things worse for us and at the same time he (and the rest of Washington for that matter) have no right to impose. Nothing in the constitution even remotely allows for this type of forced health care or the fines for not having insurance concerning how we care for ourselves. I will support anyone that will oppose him from now on!
I have sent e-mails tonight to my senators, that I have already contacted twice by e-mails in Aug. and Sept. Tonight I sent them the Reuters article on China questioning Obama on the expensive healthcare and fiscal responsibily of it. (Originally found in Drudge Report). Since both senators have in the past just sent party line "good for our state and people" responses, I don't expect them to want their sleep disturbed any further. Maybe China's stance will wake them up. I hope they vote against it, but we'll see.
I just called Congressman David Dreier's office in Washington. I expected to get a busy signal or voicemail, but a live person answered! I asked the receptionist to pass along this message: I urge the Honorable Congressman to oppose HR 3961. This is a follow-up to my letters to ALL House Representatives.
I called my two Senators & all the Blue-Dog Senators or Target Senators on your list & left strong messages"NO Obamacare & No Cloture on this bill.There were two Senators that I was unable to get through as they had full mail boxes & no access to live staff person. They were Senator Mark Pryor & Senator Claire McCaskill who conveniently had no one to answer & had full mail boxes. I also have sent faxes, letters, & Eviction Notices! I pray everyday that they do not get Obamacare passed & do not force socialized health care on the majorityof Americans who are vehemently against this.
I called my two Senators & all the Blue-Dog Senators or Target Senators on your list & left strong messages"NO Obamacare & No Cloture on this bill.There were two Senators that I was unable to get through as they had full mail boxes & no access to live staff person. They were Senator Mark Pryor & Senator Claire McCaskill who conveniently had no one to answer & had full mail boxes. I also have sent faxes, letters, & Eviction Notices! I pray everyday that they do not get Obamacare passed & do not force socialized health care on the majorityof Americans who are vehemently against this.
I phoned Congresswoman Allysyn Schwartz and asked that she NOT vote for bill HR3961
I called Jason Altmire's office in DC, a person answered and I asked that she pass my message to Mr. Altmire to vote No on HR3961. She asked for my name & address which I gave her.
I just called Senator Arlen Spector's office and actually spoke to a person. I left a message asking him to vote NO on the government run health care bill.
I called Senator Bill Casey and left a message on the answering machine asking him to vote NO.
We have already notified them and our congressman several times before by mail.
I have call Both of my Senator Jim Bunning & Senator Mitch McConall & Brett Guthere And told them to vote no on this health care Bill.
i called and faxed my senators Murray and cantwell. I also called and faxed the targeted senators. alll went well. i later called my represenative and told him to vote No on the house bill.
i will do this again tomorrow
thanks for alll the support information barb
I called my representative a week ago in response to an ACS e-mail which asked me to tell that representative to vote "yes" on 3961. I told the office worker that I'd be happy for a repeal of the SGR, but that I didn't want my congressman to support this turkey of a bill because I didn't want my kids and grandkids to be paying taxes to support any more socialism. I told them I was going against the wishes of my professional organization and that the congressman should probably vote "no".
I called my Representative's office in D.C. 10 minutes ago. The young man who took my call, after I told him to ask Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers to vote NO on HR 3961, seemed surprised and said, "Vote No"? I said yes and he told me he would tell her.
I called Sen Kyle and Sen McCain's offices today. I urged them to continue to vote against the Obama health plan. Further, I discussed that the bill would result in new entitlements, would raise taxes and damage an already fragile economy. Additionally, increased mandates and fines on small businesses will not only depress the economy further, but also increase unemployment and reduce wages. If uninsured people fail to buy health insurance, they can be fined or jailed. This is clearly wrong.
McKeon my rep voted no on Obama Care. Lookup Narcissitic Autocrat, that is who is in office.
McKeon voted no on Obamacare.
I faxed (the D.C. offices) and called my two senators (locally here in Orlando, FL). I basically said the following:
There were many reasons to oppose the bill (like 2,000 pages worth) but that today I was calling (making a plea) on behalf of my ER doc husband, my radiologist son and my radiation oncologist resident son-in-law.
I said that 45% of physicians polled said they will either close their offices or retire early if this bill passes. Who then will provide care? Are they going to put a gun at their backs to make them provide care? Who will receive proper care if physicians quit? Who will pay for medical care? It's nice to be able to put your hand in other people's pockets and get free eye glasses, free dental care, free homes, electricity, etc. But the reality is that someone has to pay for that.
I mentioned that my radiologist son just recently told me that if he'd known this he would never had gone into medicine and that he might just give up and sell medical equipment. My son-in-law (radiation oncology resident) is an electrical engineer who might even go back to that profession.
I stressed that doctors are caring people who are more interested in their patients than money. If they wanted money, they could have chosen other professions (for one, attorneys make more money!)
(End my fax/phone message)
- Both aides were courteous and said they would convey the message.