Help Stop the Medicare Meltdown
Also: Download Petition for Your Office
It’s time to enact a permanent fix to the Medicare payment formula. Despite their professed support for a new Medicare payment system for physicians, senators and representatives from both parties have done nothing to fix the formula that threatens to bankrupt physicians and leave Medicare patients without a doctor - they keep postponing a permanent solution! For 10 years, they’ve done nothing to fix the single largest government health program. How can they build a new system on a broken foundation?
To educate patients on Medicare’s problems and engage all Tennesseans in the drive to fix them, the TMA is working with other state medical associations to gather 1 million signatures to stop the Medicare Meltdown.
What can you do?
- Sign the online Stop the Medicare Meltdown petition
- Get your staff to sign
- Provide signage and petitions in your office
- Get everyone in your office to send the link to the petition to their email contacts!
- Tell your Medicare Meltdown story to the AMA.
- Contact Congress and urge them to replace the SGR formula: (888) 434-6200.
Resources
Poster: "Ask Congress to Keep Doctors for Medicare Patients" (PDF in Color or Black/white)
Printable Petition (PDF in Color or Black/white)
Sample letter to patients (Word)
Suggested email copy (Word)
Impact of cuts on Tennessee (PDF)
Sample patient Letters to the Editor (PDF)
Medicare Participation
As a result of the Medicare-SGR issue, many practices are re-evaluating their participation in Medicare. Physicians have until December 31, 2010, to change their status with Medicare. The TMA has compiled special guidance and resources for members on all three options: participation, non-participation, and opt-out. Access the Law Guide and click on "Medicare Participation Options (Par, Non-Par, or Opt-Out)" (member login required).