Press Release

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 care providers that has threatened seniors' access to health care for more than a decade.

After years of gridlock, and 17 short-term patches, a broad, bipartisan agreement on reforms that will ensure access to quality care for seniors is attainable. While the bipartisan SGR reform package unveiled today is not perfect, it is a good deal that will help seniors on Medicare get the care they need, and potentially transform how we deliver health care, improving it while also lowering costs and protecting Medicare for this and future generations. Under SGR reform, no longer will health care payment be based on fees-for-services like how many tests and procedures doctors order, but instead it will be about patients' outcomes and satisfaction.

I was also happy to see the bill will preserve global payments for complex surgeries that have 10 and 90-day post-operative periods, an issue I've been working on since the proposal to replace bundled payments came out last summer. Returning to a costly fee-for-service system when, currently, payments for complex procedures are bundled by ailment is exactly the wrong direction healthcare should go in. I'm glad to see this proposal rejected, and that members from both parties recognize the importance of prioritizing patient care, so that patients don't see additional copays."

Bera has represented Sacramento County in Congress since 2013. Born and raised in California, he is a physician and the only Indian American currently serving in Congress. He's fighting to rebuild an economy that works for middle class families and to reduce our country's debt in a responsible way. One of Bera's first acts in Congress was to help lead the effort to pass the No Budget No Pay Act, which says if members of Congress don't pass a budget, they don't get paid. As a leader of the No Labels' Problem Solvers, he's working with people from both parties to find bipartisan solutions to our nation's challenges. He and his wife Janine live in Elk Grove with their daughter Sydra. For more updates on Rep. Bera follow @RepBera on Twitter, like Congressman Bera on Facebook, or visit https://www.bera.house.gov.

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