Congressmen Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-07) and Tom Reed (NY-23) introduced a resolution this week to move beyond Congressional gridlock and develop a new national strategic agenda with shared goals for our nation that both parties can agree on. A bipartisan group of 26 members—all part of the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus—are supporting the bill, H-Res 207.The national… Read more »
The Senate last night overwhelmingly passed legislation to restore certainty to our seniors and to Medicare physicians, and to end the more than decade-long cycle of "doc fix" patches, by repealing and reforming the flawed Medicare payment system known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). The bill passed by a vote of 92 to 8.
Congressman Ami Bera, M.D., one of a handful of doctors in… Read more »
CMS announced yesterday that Medicare Advantage rates for 2016 will increase by an average of 1.25 percent, a reversal from the 0.95 percent cut CMS proposed in February. Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. fought against the proposed cuts that would have increased costs for seniors and blocked their access to care. He offered the following comment:"As a doctor, I know firsthand how critical… Read more »
Today, while in Elk Grove to celebrate March for Meals month with local seniors, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. announced that he's returning his 2014 pension to the U.S. Treasury to pay down the U.S. debt, keeping the oath he made to the people of Sacramento County to decline his Congressional pension until Medicare and Social Security are secure. "Yesterday, the House took a major step to… Read more »
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a bipartisan, historic package to restore certainty to our seniors and to Medicare physicians, and to end the decade-long cycle of annual “doc fix” patches, repealing and reforming the flawed Medicare payment system known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Read more »
On Saturday, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. hosted his first Community Forum in Rancho Cordova. The forum featured remarks from Bera, California Assemblyman Ken Cooley, and Mayor of Rancho Cordova Robert McGarvey and a question and answer period that was moderated by Rancho Cordova City Councilman Donald Terry. Staff was also available to help constituents with any issues they may be having… Read more »
Last Friday, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D., presented Mr. Paul Williams with three service medals earned during the Vietnam War. Williams, a longtime Fair Oaks resident, had never received nor pursued his medals after separating from the Air Force due to the public sentiment about the Vietnam War at the time."It was an honor to help recognize Mr. Williams' service to our country. Too many of… Read more »
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on several budget proposals today and passed a Republican budget proposal with extra spending on defense 219 to 208. Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. made the following comment:"We owe it to the American people to work together, taking ideas from both parties, to craft a budget that reins in wasteful spending and deals with our debt, makes smart… Read more »
Today, Reps. Ami Bera (CA-07), Reps. Joe Crowley (NY-14), Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), Mike Honda (CA-17), Grace Meng (NY-06) and John Garamendi (CA-03), along with leading advocacy groups, welcomed the inclusion of Sikh, Hindu, and Arab American communities in the Department of Justice’s hate crimes tracking effort. This is the final step in the long-fought effort to encourage the federal government to finally begin tracking and quantifying hate crimes against these at-risk communities. Recently, the DOJ and FBI updated its hate crimes database and FBI training manual in order to start tracking hate crimes committed against these groups – that system is now fully operational. Read more »
Following the introduction of bipartisan legislation to permanently fix the SGR formula for Medicare provider payments, Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. released the following statement:"As a doctor who's cared for many seniors who rely on Medicare, I know how much of a lifeline it is to our parents and grandparents. That's why we need to fix the flawed formula for reimbursing Medicare health… Read more »
