ACA supports bill repealing 'flawed' Medicare payment formula

October 20, 2009 — The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has joined with other provider groups to support legislation, S. 1776, introduced in Congress on Oct. 13 by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (R-Mich.) that would permanently repeal the “flawed” formula that determines Medicare reimbursement rates. 

Current federal law mandates that Medicare payments to physicians be modified annually using the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The SGR formula ties payments to the national gross domestic product, and many in health care have expressed concerns that this system is neither accurate nor appropriate. Acknowledging problems associated with tying payments to the SGR, Congress for the past seven years has voted to overturn proposed fee cuts based on the formula. 

On Oct. 16, ACA joined other healthcare provider organizations in the Patients’ Access to Responsible Care Alliance (PARCA) to voice its strong support of ending the system that has for too long proposed unfair reimbursement rates. By joining with other providers, ACA underscores its belief that the current system is unacceptable for any health care professional. To read the PARCA letter to Sen. Stabenow, click here. 

Look for updates on S. 1776, and ACA’s efforts to address the Medicare payment system, in upcoming ACA publications and on ACA’s Web site, www.acatoday.org.

The American Chiropractic Association is the nation’s leading chiropractic organization representing more than 15,000 doctors of chiropractic and their patients.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org