For Immediate Release
Contact: Erin VanSickle
Office: (850) 339-3184

FMA To D.C.: Stop Playing Games With Patients

Tallahassee - Today, a 21 percent payment cut for physicians who treat Medicare patients will become effective, setting the stage for an access to care crisis in Florida.

"The Florida Medical Association (FMA) is outraged that, once again, Congress has failed to repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula," said FMA Executive Vice President Timothy J. Stapleton. "Lawmakers have had over a year to fix the flawed Medicare payment formula, but their failure to act will put some of Florida's most vulnerable patients in jeopardy."

FMA President James B. Dolan, M.D. and President-Elect Madelyn E. Butler, M.D. are in Washington today to lobby Congress on behalf of Florida's patients and the physicians who treat them.

"Florida is home to the largest population of Medicare patients in the nation, comprised largely of seniors," continued Stapleton. "These patients deserve more than a patchwork system that barely exists from year to year - they deserve the stability and security of a properly managed, properly funded health care program."

FMA represents 20,000 physicians on the front lines of the nation's largest Medicare state. Dr. Dolan and Dr. Butler will urge Congress to fix the broken SGR system and ensure the stability of Medicare, which is critical to the health and well-being of Florida's seniors.

"It's time to stop playing games, putting off tough choices, and relying on a patchwork system," concluded Stapleton. "Patients in Florida and across the nation deserve better."